


The Tales of Steve & Bucky: Before We Go

by SilverTempest



Series: Hydra Verse [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Captain America: The First Avenger, Flashbacks, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Interview Goes Personal, One-Sided Relationship, Post-Captain America: The First Avenger, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-03-01 13:02:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 44,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2774009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverTempest/pseuds/SilverTempest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vanity Fair's Christine Everhart is after the interview of a lifetime. When opportunity gives her the chance to sit down with Steve Roger's, she manages to get the story she wants...but did she get more than she bargained for.</p>
<p>(Basically my modern re-telling of Captain America: The First Avenger within my Hydra Verse Universe)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Interview

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BreTheWriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreTheWriter/gifts).



> I know, I've promising this for weeks, so here it is! I initially wasn't planning on doing Captain America: The First Avenger, but I thought it was a story that needed to be told. It fits in my Hydra Verse and is also a part of a separate series I've been working on. I am planning on having this done by the time I get to Winter Soldier in the Hydra Verse, but it's not going to be updated as much as All That's Left is the Ghost of You. I'm going to try and make it a stand alone, so you don't need to read Ghost, but please feel free to ask if I make something unclear. 
> 
> I think the only thing you need to know for this chapter as this story starts out in modern day (interview takes place between Hulk and Iron Man 2 movies) and Steve has lived through all the years he was frozen. Hydra won the war and Schmidt is alive and in charge of much of the world and it's resources. Steve is retired from the military, works for S.H.I.E.L.D. (he's a founder), but before his retirement, he'd been promoted to Colonel (which he hates, but has to tolerate).
> 
> Please leave comments and Kudos to let me know what you think. Please check out my other stories and comment there as well. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Just as a note, my beta doesn't have internet right now, so this hasn't been looked over, but I will get a beta version up as soon as she's able to do it!)

Damn Tony, damn him and his flamboyant nature. It was one thing to blurt out that he was Iron Man, but it was a completely different thing to ask Steve to be a decoy from a very nosey reporter who wanted the scoop on the man behind the mask. He had to give Christine Everhart some credit. She was tenacious and went to extremes to get the information she wanted.

Tony had done everything in his power to make sure that she stayed out of his buildings, but she was constantly catching up with him in public. She was demanding and Tony couldn’t get away from her. That was when the man did it. Tony had been trying so hard to get her to leave him alone that he told her that if she did, he would get her the interview of the century. One that no one had been able to secure before…a sit down with one Colonel Steven G. Rogers.

She had glared at him. Questioned just how serious he was about the whole thing. Tony had smirked, given her a date and a time. Of course, he waited to tell Steve until the day of the event. Tony had told Steve to clear his schedule for something special and told Steve to wear something casual, but nice. He then personally drove Steve to the nearby hotel and up to the room. Tony waited until Steve asked what they were doing to tell him everything…and that they had about ten minutes before Everhart to arrive.

Steve was fuming by the time Tony promised that he owed Steve a lot and then wished him luck before bowing out. At least Tony decided to do this on neutral ground. He’d be a lot more upset if it had been someplace more personal. Steve wasn’t so sure he’d be able to talk about anything personal if he was in someplace familiar to him. He had no doubt in his mind that was going to be the main focus of the interview.

Ten minutes really wasn’t a long time, but while he stared down at the streets below, looking for the car to come, it felt like forever. He tried not to think about it right now. Tried to leave his mind blank to the possibilities as he looked for the car that might be Miss Everhart’s. He debated leaving, visually imagining himself walking away, but he wasn’t that kind of man who ran away from his problems. You never solved anything by running away from it. That’s why he would do this interview, collect from Tony big time, and get back to his life.

The knock on the door startled him. He got up to answer the door. Steve had expected Miss Everhart, but not the entire crew of people with her. While Christine re-introduced herself and shook Steve’s hand, the men swarmed the room, setting up lights, and cameras, and screens. Steve was having a hard time taking all this in.

“I appreciate you taking the time to do this, Colonel Rogers. It is an honor to be doing this interview.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t given much notice about this. I think this is a bit much.”

“Oh they’re just here to set all this up. They’ll be leaving. My editor wanted proof of the interview. Don’t worry, I’m only planning on using the recordings to get the facts correct. I’d also like to contact you for a photo shoot, if we can get this in the next addition.”

“It was my understanding that Vanity Fair was a fashion magazine. I have to say I’m surprised by the magazine’s interest in doing an interview with me.”

“We also cover popular culture and current affairs.”

Steve actually smirked as he took a seat, “And I fall under…?”

She sat down across from him, pen and paper in hand. “You’re a very private man for always being in the public eye. The people are always curious about who you are, what you’re doing, and most importantly, they want to know about the war. You cover the entire spectrum when it comes to news and I want to be the one to find out the truth.”

Steve grew a bit quiet at that. Miss Everhart ordered the men around from the seat. Steve wasn’t sure how long it took, but a laptop had been set up with a DVD. His curiosity was peaked as the crew left, leaving them alone. There was a video camera on him and one on the reporter to record both sides of the interview.

She settled down, looked a bit nervous, but was quick to recover in the face of who she was about to interview. A push in her career was riding on this. She needed this interview and there wasn’t going to be another shot. Rogers hopefully wouldn’t be too difficult, though if it didn’t work out, she’d be sure to make Stark’s life a living nightmare.

“Thank you again, for doing this Colonel.”

“You will have to thank Tony Stark for this. He was the one who…uh…made the arrangements.”

“Yes, but it’s you sitting in the chair. If you’re ready to begin, I would like to get your reaction to something.”

Steve didn’t think he’d ever truly be ready, but he nodded. “All right.”

She pressed play on the screen and the next thing he knew, he heard the sound of German wartime fanfare and machine gunfire. The screen showed what looked like a church. The caption read _Tonsberg, Norway, March 1942._

Steve was familiar with this particular propaganda even if he had never personally sat down to watch it. It was a very realistic recreation of the one thing that everyone knew Johann Schmidt had to achieve in order to win the war.

A man was running through the streets and into the church. He barricaded the door and turned to an elderly gentleman coming down the stairs. Steve didn’t need the translation as he understood the language they were speaking, but they made this all the more real.

“They’ve come for it!” The first man shouted.

“Then have before,” the priest replied reaching the bottom of the stairs.

“Not like this,” the younger man pointed to the door, but they all knew he meant whatever was beyond the door.

“Let them come. They’ll never find it.”

The priest sounded so sure, but that was when the rumbling started. The archaic chandeliers and other artifacts shook as the tank barreled through the wall of the church. The blast knocked the priest back, but the other man was crushed under the rubble of the church entrance.

The sequence then cut to a custom black vehicle pulling up as the tank backed up. The four headlights blinded the screen as anyone who saw it clearly saw the six-legged, skull-octopus that made up the hood ornament. The driver was shadowed still, but by this point there was no doubt who was behind the wheel. The shiny black boots hit the cobblestone streets, the jacket billowing in the breeze. Steve could hear Tony’s voice shouting ‘cue cliché villain music’ in the back of his head and tried not to smile. The cameras were on his face and if Schmidt, or anyone else saw him for that matter, he knew it would be conveyed wrong. This wasn’t funny, not at all.

He had time to recover as he saw the Hydra soldiers pushing on the lid of a tomb. Armed soldiers stood in the background, two of which were flanking the priest who had been knocked to the floor. The commanding officer was barking orders.

“Open it! Quickly, before he gets…”

The man didn’t finish. The sound of footsteps, the light from the tanks lighting up the man in the entranceway. It had been a long time since he’d seen Schmidt with the human mask over his face. The man preferred to appear as the Red Skull now. The appearance of fear. This made him look more like the human he was and the amusement Steve had felt earlier faded into anger.

Schmidt stepped down and the soldiers rushed to attention. It was eerily quiet as the man stepped closer. His footsteps crunched on the gravel and stone.

“It has taken me a long time to find this place.” Schmidt’s face came into view, shadowed by his hat. “You should be commended. Help him up.”

The flanking soldiers helped the old man to his feet. The man found himself face to face with the man who considered himself a God. The actor appeared to be a bit in awe of Schmidt.

“I think that you are a man of great vision. And, in this way, we are much alike,” Schmidt stared the man down as he spoke.

“I am nothing like you,” the priest replied shaking his head in denial.

“No, of course,” Schmidt said quickly. “…but what others see as superstition, you and I know to be a science.”

The priest took a deep breath. “What you seek is just a legend.”

“Then why make such an effort to conceal it?”

Steve had to give Schmidt credit. He was brilliant and charismatic. He was made for acting. Steve knew, as did much of the world, just how insane his ideas were. Schmidt took off his hat, handing it to a soldier and stepping up to the tomb. With the effort it took to throw a ball, he shoved the lid off of the tomb to reveal the dead knight within. Clasped between two hands was a bluish colored crystal. Steve knew it was a fake. There was no way that was the real Tesseract, then again, they probably wouldn’t use the real Tesseract in a propaganda. It was too much risk of getting stolen that way.

Schmidt reached down and yanked the crystal from the corpse’s hands. Holding it up, Steve could see the swirls and the light blue color. It didn’t glow. If this was supposed to be the legendary power gem, it wasn’t all that impressive. Steve expected more from Schmidt.

“The Tesseract was the jewel of Odin’s treasure room.”

He turned his hand over, dropping the crystal to the floor. It shattered. Ah, it was a show Schmidt was putting on.

“It is not something one buries. But I think it is close, yes?” Schmidt was giving the priest another opportunity to tell him.

“I cannot help you.”

“No. But maybe you can help your village. You must have some friends out there. Some…some little grandchildren, perhaps? I have no need for them to die.”

The tank’s turret turned to face the rest of the village. The priest watched on, but if he was fazed by all this, it didn’t show. The soldiers seemed to be a bit in awe of the man. They were probably real soldiers working with Schmidt for the first time. The camera panned to a large carved mural of a tree. Schmidt stalked over to the tree to study it.

“Yggdrasil. Tree of the world. Guardian of wisdom. And fate, also…”

The camera zoomed in to snake wound around one of the roots of the tree. It had a lot of small intricate details and the eye popped out making it look a little…off? Before Steve could figure it out himself, Schmidt’s gloved hand glided over the face before his thumb pressed the eye in. It was a button that popped part of the snake out of the wall. It was a secret compartment and the box was attached to the snake.

The priest seemed shocked as Schmidt reverently turned, the box in his hand. Slowly, he lifted up the lid. The familiar blue glow, lit up his face, his clothes, and that damn hydra sextapus. His jaw dropped and Steve wanted to curse. He’d been wrong. They had to use the real Tesseract. It made a statement to the masses that it was a real thing, and powerful if it left the Red Skull in awe every time he saw it.

“And the Fuhrer digs for trinkets in the desert.” Schmidt looks up at the priest. “You have never seen this, have you?”

“It’s not for the eyes of ordinary men.” The priest kept it simple, but still sounded defiant.

“Exactly.” The lid was shut and Schmidt walked over to retrieve his hat. “Give the order to open fire.”

“Fool!” The priest shouted making Schmidt pause and turn to face him. “You cannot control the power you hold. You will burn!”

“I already have.” Schmidt pulled out his gun and shot the priest as an act of finality. In the background, the tank had opened fire on the town. Schmidt made a move to adjust the false skin over his face, a small warning of the monster within and then the whole thing stopped.

Steve had to blink a few times and even get his bearings. That’s why he didn’t watch this sort of thing. His emotions got the best of him and that led to tunnel vision. For a moment, he almost thought he was there in the room with Schmidt instead of in a cushy hotel room in New York.

“I take it from your expression that you’re not happy about what you just saw.” Christine Everhart’s voice brought more senses back to him and he couldn’t not glare at her.

“No, I’m not.” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath to steady his fraying nerves. “Tell me, Miss Everhart, what exactly do you want from me?”

“Well, like every good reporter, I want the truth. I want to know what happened to the man who traded in a simple life in New York City for the war front. I want to know what you experienced during the war and the super soldier program.” She leaned in closer. “I want to know the truth about the real Colonel Rogers, not the man I see on the film reels and reading from a script at press conferences. I want to know what makes him tick and what drives his actions.”

The room fell silent as Steve thought over her words. No reporter had ever been so blatantly bold to him before. Most just took his no and went crawling back to their newspaper or magazine to tell their editor they couldn’t get the story. Steve should just walk away right now before he spilled it all, told her everything he’d experienced before, during, and after the war that had changed his life.

He knew he wouldn’t. At this point he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. In a few short sentences, Christine Everhart had managed to earn a bit of begrudging respect towards her. If he was going to tell anyone his story, he’d rather it be to her than anyone else who just ran away. He may hate reporters, but he respected her tenacity.

“Fine, but if we’re going to do this. We’re going to do this my way.”

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head slightly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Shall we begin?”

Steve took a deep breath as he stared at a spot behind her. There was a brief instant where he saw himself. Not as he was now, but the little guy dressed in a white button up shirt, dark slacks, suspenders, with his hair parted. Tucked under his arm was a sketchpad and charcoal. How much had something like that cost back in those days?

The little version of him smiled. Gave him a half-hearted salute and then vanished. He almost wanted to yell wait, but that would have looked stupid. Instead he took the image as a sign, as if he was being given permission to do this.

“Colonel? Are you all right?”

“Yeah, fine.” He smiled for the first time that morning. “Did you know that even before all of this,” he gestured to his body. “….I tried to enlist in the army?”


	2. The Little Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In 1943, a little guy with a big heart tried to enlist in the US army...

_New York City – Brooklyn 1943_

Today was the day. Steve could just feel it in his bones. As he walked down the street, he almost couldn’t contain his excitement. He couldn’t explain why he had this feeling, but he always knew that one day, someone wouldn’t see the scrawny, short man with a long list of physical ailments. Finally, he thought he might have a chance of going to war…as a soldier.

The day was sunny and warm, the heat radiating off the buildings and the street below as he headed to a recruitment office he’d never gone to before. This would be the fourth time he had attempted to join the army and go off to fight. His best friend, Bucky, had signed up to go. Steve couldn’t help but feel a little left behind, but it was only a matter of time before someone saw what he was worth on the inside.

He stepped into the recruitment office and filled out his application. The officer looked at him strangely, shaking his head at Steve, before directing him for his physical. Steve knew what the officer thought, and ignored him. He wasn’t going to be told no this time.

He stripped down to his underwear revealing his pale, thin frame. He’d never really been able to put on any muscle. Straining his body usually led to his asthma or another ailment to flare up. Growing up had been a rough experience for him, but it only made him stronger. The few people who had known Steve most or all of his life thought it a miracle that he had lived for so long. Bucky called him a stubborn little punk who refused to die no matter what. It made the most sense as to why he was so tenacious about going to war with the other men.

The seats had abandoned newspapers, each flashing the headlines of the most recent news from the war front. Steve picked one up as he sat down and began to read. He was getting to the casualty reports when he murmured absentmindedly. “Boy, a lot of guys getting killed over there.”

The doctor called his name and he looked over at the man standing behind a podium.

“It kind of makes you think twice about enlisting, huh?” The man sitting next to him said absentmindedly, not really paying attention to Steve.

“Nope.” And it didn’t. He ignored the stares as he put the paper down and walking over for his initial evaluation. There were a couple of guys in front of him and he knew the other men were watching him and laughing. He’d show them. Nothing was going to stop him today.

He stepped up to the podium and the doctor called his last name glancing up to look him over. Steve saw the man give him a look that clearly said ‘not impressed.’ Before flipping his card to look over his medical history.

“What did your father die of?”

“Mustard gas. He was in the 107th Infantry. I was hoping I could be assigned….”

“Your mother?” The doctor cut him off.

“She was a nurse in a TB ward. Got hit. Couldn’t shake it.”

The doctor was looking down over the file hiding his shock. How could a kid like this even think about going to war? His medical history read like a long sad book. They needed healthy strong soldiers, not ones that would be nothing but fodder for the enemy’s bullets and grenades.

“Sorry, son.” The doctor spoke finally looking up briefly.

“Look, just give me a chance,” Steve said trying hard not to look weak in front of the men.

“You’d be ineligible on your asthma alone.” The young man still looked determined as the doctor explained. The man thought he had a great poker face. He managed to keep it together when lesser men would get angry and destructive when they were told no. Instead he got one final plea, though the tone was a little on the desperate side.

“Is there anything you can do?”

“I’m doing it. I’m saving your life.”

He reached over for the stamp and marked the card with a 4F. It wasn’t often that he had to do that, but there were others, like this kid, who weren’t eligible to go off and fight. It was a damn shame that they couldn’t when they seemed like the best people for the job. It was obvious that the younger man was disappointed, but he took the slip and got dressed once more and walked out the door.

~~~~~

Steve walked down the street, his slip a red hot reminder in his pocket. He’d had such a good feeling today and he had put his faith in that. Oh well, he wasn’t giving up. Another office, another day, another city if he had to, no matter what, he was determined to get to the battlefield and do his part.

It didn’t make the rejection any less painful, but this was try number five. It didn’t feel as bad as the others did and he’d been rejected his whole life. Couldn’t hold down a decent job and no one would or could hire him. He couldn’t get the pretty dame or run to the corner without reaching for his inhaler. He got tired easily, was a color blind artist that somehow managed to figure things out, and most of all, he was awkward and a bit clumsy in social situations. Yes, his life had been full of denials and pity and loss, but he never let it keep him down.

He wasn’t completely useless and he learned to enjoy the little things in life that most didn’t notice anymore. There were things that he could do, like make art and fit into small spaces and do kind acts for neighbors and families. Steve learned to enjoyed baseball and the leaves changing colors on the trees in the fall. He’d finally been able to ride the Cyclone at Coney Island without throwing up his lunch and enjoyed the smell of the salt in the sea water. He loved apples and movies and having a good time with his best friend.

He wasn’t going to let the events of the day keep him down. Today, he was supposed to be meeting Bucky at a movie theater and the last thing he wanted was for his best friend to know he had tried again. Bucky was against him enlisting for reasons Steve didn’t want to think about. Bucky had enlisted, so that Steve didn’t have to. There wasn’t much time left before he would be going off to war and Steve would be stuck here in the city. It wasn’t fair, but nothing about Steve’s life so far was really all that fair.

Bucky wasn’t at the theater when he arrived. There was a bit of a crowd, so if Bucky managed to make it in time from his errands, he was going to have to find Steve in the crowd which was going to a bit hard to do. Oh well, Steve would just enjoy the cartoon and meet up with Bucky in a little bit. He’d probably be waiting for Steve to come out of the theater.

Steve found a decent seat. Before the cartoon there would be a bit of war propaganda that would talk about what was going on in the war and a little about what ordinary citizens could do to help. Steve kept an eye on the latter, still clinging to the idea that he wouldn’t be left behind to do other things than fight, but it was good to know what others were doing to support the war effort. Once he took his seat, the lights of the theater went down and the reel started up. The screen was choppy, black and white moving photographs on an old screen.

_“War continues to ravage Europe. But help is on the way. Every able-bodied young man is lining up to serve his country.”_

Steve watched the images flash across the screen. A bit of ruins, the symbol of the Nazi party on a flag or some sort of banner, a large group of men walking through the streets, and last a line of enlisted soldiers waiting for a doctor to come and give them a clean bill of health before being sent off to fight.

_“Even little Timmy is doing his part collecting scrap metal. Nice work, Timmy!”_

Steve couldn’t help but feel the pit form in his stomach. He knew he wasn’t destined to do something like that. Watching the little boys and young men piling metal into heaps made him realize that he really wasn’t okay like he thought, but he wasn’t about to get up in the middle of the news unless he had a good reason. It was rude and he wasn’t the type of guy to run just because things were upsetting him.

“Who cares?” A voice rang out from somewhere ahead of him. A few of the other patrons glanced in the direction of the words, some looking a little upset by the outburst. Men were overseas dying and it was outrageous to think that people didn’t care. “Play the movie already!”

Steve couldn’t remain silent after that. “Hey, you wanna show some respect?”

The announcer continued on while the images switched to more war footage. _“Meanwhile, overseas, our brave boys are showing the Axis powers that the price of freedom is never too high.”_

“Let’s go! Get on with it!”

Steve was getting angrier and angrier with each loud complaint. Others were upset as well, but they weren’t speaking up. Instead they just closed their eyes or shook their heads as the complaints continued. Some just glance appalled at the man’s words. Steve didn’t understand how people could be like that. It just wasn’t right and was downright disrespectful…something that Steve didn’t tolerate.

“Hey, just start the cartoon!”

That did it. Steve couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t yell, but he was loud enough that he was sure that he was heard by the man and the patrons that refused to speak up. “Hey, you wanna shut up?”

The man got to his feet turning around. Steve knew the type. The ones who were taller, bigger, and definitely stronger than him. The ones who took one look at him and grinned before challenging him to make them shut up. There was only one word that categorized those kind of people…bullies. Steve hated bullies. Steve took a deep breath. One of these days he would bite off more than he could chew, but today wasn’t one of those days. It was when the man caught his eye and smirked that the propaganda’s words rang out adding to the courage that Steve already possessed.

_“Together with Allied forces, we’ll face any threat, no matter the size.”_

~~~~~

A few minutes later found Steve in the alleyway next to the theater. A well thrown punch landed on Steve’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. The man stood above him grinning, a bit high from the sensation of beating on someone helpless. Steve scrambled to his feet, turning around just in time to be punched again.

Steve refused to stay down though. Getting to his feet once more, he grabbed the handle of one of the trash can lids and held it up like a shield. It was the first time he’d tried to defend himself that way, but it was worth a shot. The bully ripped it from his grasp though and swung again.

That one hurt. He could feel a bit of the blood on his lip from where his teeth had bitten into the soft flesh after that last one. He brought his fists up to defend himself watching as the man took a few steps backwards, a small look of puzzlement crossing his features and mixing with the smug attitude.

“You just don’t know when to give up, do you?” The man said holding his hands open in a challenge to the other’s tenacious behavior.

“I can do this all day.” Steve sounded breathless though he meant what he said. Even on some level Steve knew he wasn’t going to be able to keep this up for much longer. His lungs burned and he had defiantly left his inhaler at his apartment that morning trying to prove he didn’t need it. There was a little bit of regret for that fact now.

Steve swung his fist, only to have it blocked by a much more solid arm. The next shot from the bully sent him face first into the metal trash can. He was lucky he didn’t lose consciousness, but he was going to need a minute.

“Hey,” a very familiar voice called out followed by the movement of fabric and the scuffing of shoes on the concrete. “Pick on someone your own size.”

Steve looked up just in time to see Bucky dodge a punch before landing a solid one of his own into the other man’s face. The man swung away from the force and Bucky added insult to injury by kicking the man sending him tripping down the alley without a backwards glance. Steve took the time to recover and managed to get to his feet.

He didn’t have to act tough in front of Bucky. They’d known each other since they were kids and had been in too many scrapes together to count. Of course, that also meant they’d seen each other at their lowest, but somehow a grin or a smart remark was enough of a pick me up to get them through the pain. Steve was grateful for Bucky’s help even if his pride smarted a bit. Losing just confirmed what other people always said about him, even if Bucky didn’t see things that way.

“Sometimes I think you like getting punched.” He came back to Steve looking the smaller man over in concern. Steve had his hands on his knees fighting to calm his racing heart and catch his breath.

“I had him on the ropes.” Bucky made a face before bending down to pick up something off the ground. Steve wanted to groan. It was his paperwork from the enlistment office.

“How many times is this?” Bucky asked sounding resigned. He knew Steve was still trying to get in, though he didn’t like it. He wished the stubborn punk would just stop and think for once. “Oh, you’re from Paramus now? You know it’s illegal to lie on the enlistment form. And seriously, Jersey?”

Steve was only half listening as he wiped away some of the blood from his lip on the sleeve of his jacket. Then he saw Bucky. The man was looking sharp in his green-gray military uniform. His cap was slightly askew on his head, but it suited the man, so Steve didn’t comment. His belt and shoes and buttons were still shiny and new. His uniform was crisp and pressed. His uniform fit like a glove and gave the older man a certain appeal to the dames, especially after his slight bulk up with his basic training behind him. Bucky wore confidence like a second skin and the uniform added another level to that confidence.

“You get your orders?” Steve was a little envious. This is what he wanted and here Bucky was ready to head off to war.

Bucky took a deep breath, his gaze turning away for a moment to study the paper in his hand. Tilting his head up in a confident gesture, he looked the shorter man in the eye once more. “The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow.”

Steve nodded in understanding before glancing down at his shoes. “I should be going.”

Steve brushed the last bit of dirt and grime from his hands risking a glance up at his friend. Bucky’s expression was somber for a moment, a look that didn’t suit the man at all before his mouth curled in a familiar smile and his eyes lit up.

“Come on, man.” Bucky threw an arm over his shoulder and began to lead him out of the alley. “My last night! I got to get you cleaned up.”

“Why? Where are we going?” Steve asked dryly trying to ignore the fact that Bucky was very casually tossing the rejection slip off to the side in an attempt to put it behind both of them.

Bucky handed him the newspaper in his hand. “The future.”

Steve opened up the newspaper. In large letters were the year and on the other side was the phrase, ‘World Exposition of Tomorrow.’ The picture was a large metal globe with fireworks and what looked like some sort of train or subway tram that ran under the track instead of on it. Steve thought it looked a bit ridiculous, but he was a simple and practical kind of guy. Leave it to the scientists to think of something strange and wonderful.

They got back to the apartment they shared fairly quickly. Steve went to see if he had any clean clothes he could wear, discarding his blood stained jacket over a rickety chair. He managed to find that shirt and was thankful that he had a spare jacket to wear. All of his pants needed to be washed, so he was stuck with the pair he’d worn that day.

He needed to clean up the blood and grime and get a good look at the cut on his lip before he could change, so he made his way to the small bathroom, passing Bucky who was heading into the bedroom, probably to pack for tomorrow. Before the bathroom door shut, he saw Bucky drop his hat onto the same chair he’d draped his jacket on before running a hand through his hair.

The door shut with a click and Steve turned to the small mirror and the sink. He stopped the sink with a rag filling it with water from the tap. Steve shed his dirty shirt in favor of washing the grime off. The water was icy, but they couldn’t afford a place with a water heater and he didn’t want to take the time to heat water on the stove. As he scrubbed he got a good look at his lip. It wasn’t a bad cut and the bleeding had stopped. He gently cleaned it and changed. Running a hand through his hair in slight frustration he made his way out to where Bucky was finishing up his packing. The older man couldn’t take much with him, but there were things he would need. Bucky’s somber expression was back, but disappeared once more when he caught Steve watching him.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Steve said a little dryly. He really wasn’t sure it was a good idea to go out tonight, but it was Bucky’s last night in New York. Steve would be a lousy friend if he blew the other man off. If he was being honest, he didn’t want Bucky to go, not without him, but they didn’t have a choice now.

“Cheer up, man. We’re going to have a great time tonight.” Bucky said as he placed his cap back on his head and closed his bag.

“Sure.” Steve agreed. What could he say? As they made their way out the door he glanced back at the apartment. Was this the last time they were going to walk out together? Steve shook his head. Bucky was strong, stronger than him in many ways. If anyone could survive, it would be Bucky. Pushing aside the nagging doubt in his head, Steve turned his focus on tonight. Even with his reservations, he was determined to have a good time with his buddy tonight…even if it killed him.

~~~~~

Bucky heard the door to the bathroom shut and shook his head. Steve was the toughest little punk that he knew. Hell, he was the toughest most stubborn man in all of Brooklyn and that was saying something. Bucky knew that the little man with the heart and determination of something so much bigger would keep enlisting until the war was over.

As he began to pack, his hands trembling a bit in nervousness, he was glad that Steve was staying behind where he was going to be safe. The last thing Bucky wanted was to have to worry about the little man being out on the battlefield. Sure Steve was as tough as they come, but he wasn’t built to be out on the battlefield in a war zone. His heart pounded a bit in fear at the images that came to mind when he thought of Steve anywhere near a battle.

He was nervous, downright scared of heading off to war. He’d told Steve that he’d enlisted for both of them, but the truth of the matter was that he was drafted to head off into war. The last thing he wanted was to leave the other man here. The last thing he wanted was to head off to a place where he may not come home from.

The best he could hope for was for Steve to be safe. He’d make sure to leave any of his meager possessions and his income. He’d already paid a few months ahead on the rent, something he hadn’t been able to do when he wasn’t drafted. It wasn’t much, but it was all that he could do for Steve.

He had to keep it together and focus on tonight. Although he’d arranged a double date, he really just wanted to spend time with Steve. This might be the last time and he wanted to make every last second count. Bucky wanted one last good memory to keep with him and he hoped to leave Steve with a good memory too.

Shaky hands and a distracted mind worked to try and make sense of what he was doing. He was packing trying not to think of the worst situation and about the man in the other room. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice his best friend come back into the room. Bucky wasn’t sure how long Steve had been watching him pack, but he managed to force a smile on his face.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

Bucky felt a small twinge in his heart. He knew Steve was disappointed about not being able to go. Bucky did his best to hide the fact that the younger man wasn’t going and instead worked to try and get the man in a better mood.

“Cheer up, man. We’re going to have a great time tonight.”

He was grateful that his hands remained steady as he closed his bag. Reaching for his cap, he slicked back his hair before placing it on his head. Steve still didn’t look to happy as he agreed. What Bucky wouldn’t give to see the man smile one more time? There was still time to make that happen, right?

As they made their way out the door, Bucky noticed Steve pause at the door. He wanted to know what was going through the other man’s mind right now. When he turned back to face Bucky though, all the older man saw was determined blue. Yeah, his stubborn friend was still there. At least he had that to take with him. Some things never changed. He managed a genuine smile as he called out to his friend.

“Let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After watching Agent Carter tonight, I couldn't postpone updating this until tomorrow. So as I promised on Sunday, here's the next chapter. It wasn't turning out how I wanted initially, so I rewrote it and I think I like what I came up with so much better. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I haven't started writing the next chapter, but I will once I finish the next chapter of All That's Left Is the Ghost of You, which is about half done. It should be up fairly soon!
> 
> Please leave me comments and Kudos. They feed my muse and I enjoy hearing from you! Also, please feel free to let me know if I've made a mistake or something is unclear. I'm trying to improve my writing and I'm always looking for positive and constructive criticism. Thanks!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr:  
> (Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel): http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> (Writing Tumblr): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also find me on Instagram. I do post pictures of my writings and other projects: SilverCiels
> 
> Check out my other stories and let me know what you think!
> 
> Interlude Party: (Updated Chapter 3 - 12/28/2014)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829
> 
> And of course the story that started all this off:
> 
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapter 26 - 1/11/2015...Updated weekly on Sunday)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846


	3. Parting Ways

The expo was crowded. Fireworks lit up the night sky above the same globe that had been featured in the newspaper. The dangling subway car zoomed overhead making a whooshing sound as it went by. Steve had a hard time focusing on it all, but he turned his attention to Bucky walking in front of him. The older man was talking and Steve tried to pay attention to what the man was saying.

“I don’t see what the problem is. You’re about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know there’s three and a half million women here?”

Steve wanted to huff at that fact. Women didn’t look at him. He wasn’t the kind of guy they’d picture themselves with and Steve was intimidated by them for the most part. He was shorter than the average height for a woman, so that meant they looked down on him in both the figurative and literal sense. Still, he’d wait for the day when one of them would see him. “Well, I’d settle for just one.”

“Good thing I took care of that.”

Bucky raised his hand in greeting. A pair of girls stood a little ways away, one of them calling Bucky’s name at the sight of him. Steve felt the nervousness take over. Of course Bucky would set them up on a double date. He’d done it so many times in the past and even though it usually ended badly for Steve, Bucky continued to do it hoping that a dame would see what he saw in his best friend.

“What’d you tell her about me?”

“Only the good stuff.” Bucky was grinning his usual cocky grin. Steve could see it was genuine. Bucky was truly there to have a good time and he was enjoying himself. Bucky deserved to have a good night before he went off to war. Steve brushed his hair out of his face in a nervous gesture. He wished Bucky had at least told him about this earlier so he could have prepared better. At the very least he could have thought of a way to make a good first impression on the women.

~~~~~

The expo was huge. There were displays and stages within a pavilion. Stark Industries was on the main stage for the night. Though the stage lights weren’t on, the bright red paint of the vehicle on the stage was clearly visible. Bucky, Steve, and the girls walked around exploring and checking out everything with awe. Over the speaker, the announcer began to talk, his voice radiating through the space.

“Welcome to the Modern Marvels Pavilion and the World of Tomorrow. A greater world. A better world.”

As it finished, Howard Stark took the stage and they had to scramble to get close to the stage. The girls dragged Bucky, while Steve followed at a slower pace. He still wasn’t too excited about all of this, but he wasn’t going to leave.

“Ladies and gentlemen…” A woman spoke through the microphone. “…Mr. Howard Stark!”

There was a bit of upbeat music as the man himself stepped out and moved swiftly, but elegantly to the front of the stage. Steve could tell it was partially a flamboyant act, especially as the man approached the announcer handing over his hat and kissing her in front of the crowd, before taking the microphone from her hand.

“I love you, Howard!” A woman cried out. Stark looked her way and acknowledged her before he dabbed the lipstick off of his lips and got a feel for the crowd in front of him. He smiled the entire time. Steve wasn’t too interested and he tried to give his date some peanuts from his bag, but from the sour look she gave to him he pulled back. This was turning out exactly like it did every time. She obviously wasn’t interested in him and more interested to the rich, spoiled man on stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, what if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won’t even have to touch the ground at all?” The women moved to the four corners of the car, pulling the tires away. Stark moved his controls to the front. “Yes. Thanks, Mandy. With Stark Gravitic Reversion Technology you’ll be able to do just that.”

With a twist of a knob and a pulled a lever, the car began to rise into the air. It gradually got higher until it hovered.

“Holy cow.” Bucky said, unable to believe that the car was actually flying. It only took a few sparks and the car came crashing back down to the ground. The crowd stepped back and before they all laughed and clapped. Bucky glanced back at Steve. Neither could believe that someone had wasted their time on this, but they couldn’t deny that it was an amazing feat.

“I did say a few years, didn’t I?” Howard blew off the failure though his face betrayed him for a moment.

Steve officially lost interest in what was going on around. He saw the recruitment posters, the signs that said, ‘recruitment’ with the arrow pointing the direction. This had to be some sort of sign, or a mockery. His pride couldn’t let him stop and since his date was clearly uninterested in him, he really didn’t want to stay. With a mental apology to his best friend, he started to walk towards the recruitment center.

“Hey, Steve, what do you say we treat these girls…” Bucky turned around and Steve was gone. For a moment he panicked. Steve tended to get into trouble when Bucky wasn’t looking. After a moment his eyes fell upon the poster. Mentally cursing, he excused himself from the women. He had to stop Steve before the younger man tried to recruit to the army again…or do something else that could be considered stupid or reckless.

Inside the foyer of the recruitment center, there was a poster with a cut out mirror for the lead saluting soldier. One man stepped up on the square, the display lighting up his face clear in the picture. When his gal yanked him away, Steve stepped up. He could barely see his eyes and nose in the mirror. He was shoved from behind and spun to see Bucky standing there.

“Come on. You’re kind of missing the point of a double date. We’re taking the girls dancing.”

Steve didn’t want to go dancing, but he was willing to meet the other man later. And by later, he meant after trying one more time.

“You go ahead. I’ll catch up with you.”

Bucky frowned. Why couldn’t Steve just stop? “You’re really going to do this again?”

Steve shrugged. “Well, it’s a fair. I’m gonna try my luck.”

“As who, Steve from Ohio?” Bucky was mad now and it showed in his tone. His voice lowered a bit, betraying the fear that he felt for the younger man. “They’ll catch you. Or worse, they’ll actually take you.”

Steve took a deep breath. He had to make Bucky try and understand. “Look, I know you don’t think I can do this.”

“This isn’t a back alley, Steve. It’s war.”

“I know it’s a war.”

“Why are you so keen to fight? There are so many important jobs.”

Unknown to the two men, an older gentleman began to watch their argument. He seemed fairly interested their conversation, curiosity setting into his features as he paid special attention to the shorter, smaller man.  
  
“What do you want me to do? Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon?” Steve said almost mocking.

“Yes. Why not?” Bucky liked that idea.

“I’m not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky. Bucky, come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That’s what you don’t understand. This isn’t about me.”

Bucky didn’t look happy. He stared straight into Steve’s eyes when he spoke. “Right. ‘Cause you got nothing to prove.”

They were silent for a moment. The heaviness of their argument hung in the air. Steve would stick to his decisions, as he always did, but Bucky was silently pleading for Steve to see reason. Could he see that all Bucky wanted was for him to stay home? If anything happened to the man in front of him, Bucky knew it would crush him. His friendship and loyalty had grown so much that if Steve died, Bucky wasn’t so sure he could go on without him. It was obsession and madness.

“Hey Sarge!” The girls had caught up to them and the one who called out sounded a bit impatient. “Are we going dancing?”

Bucky turned around holding his hands out, but he didn’t bother to smile at the girls. Didn’t they realize that they just interrupted something important? Bucky didn’t really care about going dancing now, but he had promised the girls and he was a man of his word. “Yes, we are.”

He turned back around and looked Steve in the eye again. The younger man showed no sign that he was changing his mind or even remorseful about any of this. Bucky really didn’t expect him to be, but it still hurt. It was better that he leave now before his did something he would regret.

“Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.” He spoke calmly and a big part of him wanted Steve to take his words to heart. He stepped away. This was it. The part where they would say goodbye…possibly for good.

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.”

Bucky pursed his lips. He couldn’t leave it like this. Not when Steve said something like that to him. It was just like Steve to say something smart like that. He couldn’t truly say goodbye on an argument and an insult. Especially when Bucky knew that war was waiting for him and although he was upset, he knew no good doctor would let Steve go off to war. Steve would stay here, safe and sound, waiting for Bucky to come back to him and that was a comforting thought. He stepped right back towards his best friend moving to embrace him, one more time.

“You’re a punk.”

“Jerk.” Steve huffed in his ear, but returned the hug with all the strength he could muster. Both men realized that they really didn’t want this…one going off to war and its dangers…one waiting for the inevitable news of the other to return feeling inadequate at every turn. Neither had any choice. What was done was something they couldn’t undo. “Be careful.”

Bucky had to turn away to hide the expression on his face. He would try his hardest to do just that. After all, he had to come back to Steve. It hurt a lot more to leave his best friend behind than he thought it would.

“Don’t win the war until I get there.”

Bucky allowed the corner of his mouth to tilt a bit. Stubborn punk. He turned around and gave Steve a half-hearted salute. Steve was a soldier in his own right and Bucky hoped the man knew that. He had to get away though or he would do that stupid thing he’d been thinking about doing all night.

“Come on, girls. They’re playing our song.”

And then Bucky was gone in the crowd. Steve had to swallow down all the emotions he was fighting against. Bucky was strong, he would be okay. This wasn’t the last time they would see each other. There was also the exam he was about to take to consider. The doctors already had enough reasons to deny him enlistment. The last thing he needed was for them to deny him because he was emotional. No, he’d made his decision. Somehow, someway, if it was the last thing he ever did, he would get out to that battlefield and fight by Bucky’s side. He just knew it. He just didn’t know how.

First thing he had to do was try this one more time. That confident feeling he had felt earlier that day was back. Surely someone here could see how important it was for him to get to the battlefield. There just had to be a way and he wouldn’t stop until he figured it out. He began to walk down the foyer and into the center with some confidence, unaware of the doctor standing there watching him.

Dr. Erskine watched the shorter, sickly looking man go. As he passed, he managed to see the fire in the man’s eyes. Could this be the person he was looking for? Could this man be the one to make his serum work? The scientist still was unsure. He needed to ask the man the burning questions that came to mind while he and his friend argued about his enlistment. Uncovering the true nature of a person was often ugly, but Erskine had a feeling. It would be a true miracle, if after all this searching, he finally found a good man.

~~~~~

The enlistment procedures were fairly standard across the board, though Steve had been taken back by a doctor in order to undergo his basic physical. The army doctor checked his vitals and Steve was concerned that his argument with Bucky might have thrown them off a bit. The doctor was a bit stone faced, so he wasn’t giving anything away. He was a little surprised when a nurse pulled back the curtain and walked over to the doctor. She spoke to the doctor briefly and left.

“Wait here.” The doctor spoke firmly as he put the folder down on the desk and went to leave as well.

“Is there a problem?” Steve asked, confused by the behavior. Whatever it was, in his experience, it never boded well for him. He really didn’t want this to mean what he thought it meant.

“Just wait here.” The doctor was insistent as he stepped out of the room and closed the curtain behind him.”

Steve glanced back at the sign behind him. The one that reminded the soldiers that it was illegal to falsify information on the enlistment forms. Technically he had lied about where he was from every time, but the first, but all of his other information was true. There really wasn’t any way for them to know was there?

No this had to be about his health again. The asthma, the heart murmur, the color blindness…it was the same old story every time. Better to cut his losses now before another staff member came in to give him the bad news. So, he hopped off the bed and grabbed his shoes, sliding them on quickly. As he finished tying the second shoe, the curtain opened once more and an M.P. came into the room, startling Steve. They stared at each other for a few brief moments when an older gentleman in a dark brown suit stepped into the room.

“Thank you.” The man said to the M.P. His accent was unmistakably German. He M.P. left the room, leaving the two men alone. It was all very strange and Steve was beginning to think that whatever this was, it was going to be bad. Once the curtains were closed, Steve swallowed hard and waited for the disappointment to start all over again.

“So, you want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis.” The man said opening the file and looked it over.

They weren’t questions, but statements. It threw Steve off. He wasn’t expecting that. “Excuse me?”

“Dr. Abraham Erskine. I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve.” Dr. Erskine held out his hand. Steve took it and they shook.

“Steve Rogers.” The man nodded, took his file and flopped it on the exam table. Steve was curious about this man. In a war where they were fighting German citizens, why was one here. “Where are you from?”

“Queens. 73rd Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany. This troubles you?”

“No.” Steve shook his head. He meant it too. The world had this troubling knack for lumping people into stereotypical groups and Steve was smart enough to know that wasn’t true. He was often thrown into the ‘weakling’ group and although he was sick all the time, he wasn’t weak by any means. This man before him may have German roots, but considering that he was standing here before him, there was probably no chance he was affiliated with the Nazi Party in any way.

“Where are you from, Mr. Rogers? Is it New Haven? Or Paramus? Five exams in five different cities.”

“That might not be the right file.” Steve fought to keep the shock from showing on his face. This was bad. They did know that he lied on his enlistment form.

“No, it’s not the exams I’m interested in. It’s the five tries.” Dr. Erskine snapped the file closed, picking it up. “But you didn’t answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?”

“Is this a test?”

“Yes.”

Steve shook his head again. “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from.”

He held his breath for a moment. He wasn’t lying, but there were other motives for him wanting to go. That was the only one he was going to share though. It was all the other man needed to know.

“Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is a little guy.”

He hummed curiously and Steve froze. Was this guy serious? Was he finally getting the opportunity to prove himself?

“I can offer you a chance. Only a chance.”

Dr. Erskine pulled back the curtain. Steve had to grab his things in a hurry in order to follow the man. Now he was grateful he had slid on his shoes. “I’ll take it.”

“Good.” Erskine stepped up to a desk grabbing a stamp, hesitating for a moment. “So where is the little guy from? Actually?”

“Brooklyn.” Steve let a little smirk creep across his face. Please, oh please say he was getting this shot. With a firm press of the stamp, and a hand off. Steve was holding his file in his hands.

“Congratulations, soldier.”

Steve didn’t watch the other man leave. He had the feeling he would see him again. Instead he focused on the folder in his hand. Flipping it open the inky, black A1 status stared back at him. His breath caught in his throat and he had to remember to breathe. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he relaxed looking for Erskine to thank him, but the man was gone.

Finally, he was given a shot…a chance to do what he always wanted. He was heading off to war. Finally, he was going to catch up to Bucky.

~~~~~

Though he had left the room, Dr. Erskine was watching the man carefully. There was something about this man that made him want to give him this opportunity. He could only imagine what someone with so many ailments had to do to come this far. There was a fire, a tenacity there that was unmatched by the men he had referred to as ‘big.’ This young man was big in his own way and with time, it would reveal himself. If Steve Rogers could only prove himself and impress the Colonel…Erskine was confident this was the man who was meant to receive his serum. With this man, Project Rebirth could possibly be a success. He promised Rogers a chance. It was time for them all to find out if the man was truly deserving of it.

~~~~~

**Modern Day**

“What do you think he saw in you?” Christine Everhart’s voice cut through the air, drawing Steve out of the story.

“What?” It took a moment for him to realize that she had asked him something.

“What do you think, Dr. Erskine saw in you?”

Steve though about it for a moment. He and Dr. Erskine really only had a few encounters. In the end, he really didn’t understand anything about the man. He had once asked him why he had chosen Steve for the experiment. He’d gotten an answer that day and had accepted it for what it was. With his procedure, the experiment, going on the next day, he had been too nervous to delve further and Erskine had been killed shortly after that.

“I’m not really sure. I’m grateful that he gave me the opportunity though. I just wanted to do my part and not sit on the side lines.”

She jotted down a few things on her notepad. After a brief pause, she looked up at him.

“Going off to train had to be difficult. I have to ask you what that was like, but first, I want to get a reaction from you. About that time, Schmidt claimed to have started experimenting with using the Tesseract’s power for weapons. What did you know about that and what are your thoughts on it?”

Steve fought the urge to pinch the nerve ticking. He knew she was just doing her job and partially she was trying to get a reaction from him about all of this. It didn’t make it any less annoying, but he would talk about it, so that maybe he wouldn’t have to do it again.

“I didn’t know anything about it at the time. About that time, I was just arriving at Camp Leigh. I wouldn’t learn the names Johann Schmidt and Hydra and Tesseract until later…much later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I promised you guys a chapter this week. I got it done on Friday, but I hadn't gotten around to fixing the edits until today. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before i can update this one again, but I do hope you're enjoying it.
> 
> I hope the transitions between the actual story and going briefly back to the interview don't get to be too much. I'm mostly using it as a transition between certain scenes and to get some introspection from Steve's point of view. I plan to only do every couple of chapters, or as it seems necessary. Again, I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!
> 
> Please leave me comments and Kudos. They feed my muse and I enjoy hearing from you! Also, please feel free to let me know if I've made a mistake or something is unclear. I'm trying to improve my writing and I'm always looking for positive and constructive criticism. Thanks!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr:  
> (Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel): http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> (Writing Tumblr): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also find me on Instagram. I do post pictures of my writings and other projects: SilverCiels
> 
> Check out my other stories and let me know what you think!
> 
> Interlude Party: (Updated Chapter 3 - 12/28/2014)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829
> 
> And of course the story that started all this off:
> 
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapter 29 - 02/01/2015...Updated weekly on Sunday)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846


	4. Trials of Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve arrives at Camp Leigh and finds that there are more challenges to face than he thought.

Deep in the Alps, the Hydra base was carved and built into the mountain. Schmidt looked out at the mountainous landscape through the large bay window in the laboratory. It was time for him to take the next step towards greatness. He turned and walked into the main room approaching an older, mousy little man who was fiddling with the instruments. For what the man lacked in stature, he had in his mind. Schmidt needed that sort of visionary brilliance to complete his goals.

“Are you ready, Dr. Zola?” He asked wanting to get started. All this waiting was making his impatience grow.

“My machine requires the most delicate calibration. Forgive me if I seem overcautious.” The doctor responded. His tone was firm and convincing despite his words.

“Are you certain that those conductors of yours can withstand the energy surge long enough for transference?” Schmidt gestured towards the machine as he picked up a picture portraying the relic in their possession. The power of the Tesseract was legendary and the stories of its power had been passed down for a very long time. They had to figure out a way to harness that power and use it for their own benefit.

“With this artifact I am certain of nothing. I fear it may not work at all.”

Schmidt picked up the box containing the cube, taking it over to a new carrier. They would have to be careful that the power would not consume them. Opening the lid of the ornate box, he marveled once again at the bright blue light emitting from the precious gem.

Dr. Zola exchanged his regular glasses for prescription sun glasses that would double as goggles for this experiment. He watched in awe as Schmidt disconnected the top part of the carrier, moving it to hover over the Tesseract. Schmidt lifted the cube, giving Zola a quick look before carrying it over to be tested. He lowered it into the core of the machine, locking it in place while Zola fiddled with the controls. This was it, the time was now to find out if he was truly destined for greatness.

He looked over at Dr. Zola. The man looked back, pausing before hitting the button on the control panel. The machine powered up making a loud humming noise. Zola watched the controls carefully as the machine maintained stability.

“Twenty percent.” Slowly he turned the knob to increase the power. “Forty. Sixty. Stabilizing at seventy percent.”

That wouldn’t do. He had come too far for this not to work. He approached the smaller man, pushing him out of the way. “I have not come all this way for safety, Doctor.”

Turning the dial all the way up to 100%, he watched as the machine began to grow bright with the blue light. Rays of that light crackled like lightning bolts, transferring down the cords hooked up to the weapons surrounding it. The sensation of power hanging in the room could be felt by both men. The power became too great for the control panel as it fizzled and sparked before dying, officially shutting down the machine it controlled.

“What was that?” Dr. Zola asked in awe. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Schmidt looked past the man in awe. The core they had set up was shining with a dark blue, darker than the light of the Tesseract. They had done it. “I must congratulate you, Arnim. Your designs do not disappoint. Though they may require some slight reinforcement.”

The man spun the doctor around to see for himself. Cautiously Zola approached the power core. This was a breakthrough that confirmed the ideals of the leader of Hydra. It was truly amazing.

“The exchange is stable.” He still could not believe his eyes. “Amazing. The energy we have just collected could power my designs. All my designs. This will change the war.”

He ripped off his glasses and looked out the window. This had the potential for more…so much more if they played their cards right. It seemed as though Schmidt agreed.

“Dr. Zola, this will change the world.”

~~~~~

When Steve reported to Camp Leigh for his training, he was met with the usual amount of resistance. It was obvious from the start that he was smaller and weaker than most men that came here. The bigger, stronger men saw him as the perfect little victim to be bullied, not that they really got too far with anything, but they made sure to make Steve’s life miserable every chance they got. It made his first few days miserable, but he managed to keep a cool head not wanting to squander his chance to go off and fight. There had to be something more to this, and he was going to stay until the end to find out what it was.

Today he had been ordered to head to a line up for inspection. He stood among the bullies with soldiers running around to complete his training. Another Drill Sergeant was yelling the orders out to the soldier for exercise. Watching was a distraction from the fact that Steve felt like he looked as ridiculous as he felt. His helmet was too big and flopped on his head. The smallest uniform they could find was baggy on him. You could clearly see his undershirt as the collar hung down and the extra pant material sagged a little over his boots. Clearly the army wasn’t willing to train smaller men to bulk up and fight.

“Recruits, attention!” A woman’s voice called out bringing Steve out of his thoughts. All the men stood at attention. Despite the fact that this was a woman, it was clear they didn’t know her influence, so they would all show they were good little soldiers and do what they were told.

The woman walked around to stand in front of them. Steve noticed that she spoke with an accent and that she was quite a beautiful young woman. Her shoulder length brown hair was curly and partially pulled back to keep it out of her face. She wore very little make up, but just enough to accent her face. It was obvious that she was an officer of some sort as she wore a uniform though she wore a skirt instead of pants. Her eyes were stern as she looked down the line of soldiers. Clearly she was not a woman to be messed with.

Another soldier stood behind her handing out clip boards with their paperwork on them. He seemed to follow her lead as she spoke up.

“Gentlemen, I am Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division.”

“What’s with the accent, Queen Victoria? It thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army.” Steve had heard the voice before. It was the leader of the gang of bullies. He didn’t know his name, but Steve disliked him immensely.

“What’s your name, soldier?” She asked as her eyes bore into the man.

“Gilmore Hodge, Your Majesty.” He sassed clearly unimpressed with the woman in front of him.

“Step forward, Hodge.” The soldier did as she asked, though his attitude towards her didn’t appear to change. “Put your right foot forward.”

As he followed the order once again, he smirked. Steve was distracted for a moment as he was handed his clip board, but quickly turned back to the scene in front of him. “We gonna wrassle? ‘Cause I got a few moves I know you’ll like.”

The fist came towards his face with a quickness. Steve couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his lips. It seemed as though Agent Carter was not the kind of woman you should mess with as she could hold her own. Most men who considered themselves respectable wouldn’t even think to retaliate, so she was fairly safe from any form of payback. Of one thing Steve was certain, he liked her and her fiery spirit.

“Agent Carter!” A man called out from behind her. She seemed a little surprised as she turned to watch the man and Dr. Erskine climb from the back of a military jeep. The man in uniform wore a jacket over his top.

“Colonel Phillips.” Agent Carter saluted the man. Steve knew that he must be the one in charge of their division.

“I can see that you are breaking in the candidates. That’s good!” He looked down at Hodge who was still on his back on the ground. “Get your ass up out of that dirt and stand in that line at attention till somebody comes tells you what to do.”

Hodge climbed to his feet. His nose was a little bloody from the hit and he had a dumb expression on his face. “Yes, sir!”

Colonel Phillips turned away from them for a moment. He seemed to be contemplating something. Agent Carter and Dr. Erskine stood back as the Colonel began to walk directly down the line in front of the soldiers.

“General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men.”

He looked at the line. Steve was right in his line of sight. The Colonel seemed to be a little surprised as he paused for a moment in his speech. Something told Steve that he hadn’t been warned or if he had been, Steve hadn’t been what he had expected. It seemed as though the Colonel was just like all the doctors and the people who hadn’t want to give him a chance. He was just going to have to prove himself. Phillips glanced over at Dr. Erskine who didn’t seemed fazed at all about the Colonel’s surprise.

“And because they are going to get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history, but every army starts with one man. At the end of this week, we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldier. And they will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell.”

~~~~~

That week was a rough one for Steve, probably the hardest he had every faced up until that point. When he had packed, he really hadn’t thought all that much about packing a few books to read. The men gave him a hard time about it, though they quickly lost interest when he ignored them.

Training was tough considering his ailments and lack of physical strength. During the first training run, he fell far behind with the Drill Sergeant yelling for him to move. His lungs burned and he wheezed, but he never felt more alive. He would always try to do everything the other recruits did. The first time he had to climb up a rope wall. He almost made it half way up when his foot slid through one of the large holes. He lost his grip in surprise and found himself hanging upside down. The men laughed while the Drill Sergeant yelled for him to get down.

Another exercise required that they crawl in the dirt under barb wire being held up by wooden posts. Steve struggled to hold his rifle up as he crawled. His helmet kept sliding down covering his eyes complicating things. Hodge, who definitely had it in for him, crawled ahead in the lane next to him, stopping to kick down one of the post causing the barb wire to crash in front of Steve.

Steve had to set a record for the number of times his name was called and reprimanded by the Drill Sergeant. He knew Agent Carter, Colonel Phillips, and Dr. Erskine were watching him. Every time he caught the eye of Agent Carter and Dr. Erskine would smile at him and on occasion the doctor would nod. He thought that maybe he was doing something right after all.

Now they were running again. Steve had fallen behind the rest of the recruits. Running under the weight of the full uniform was tough, but necessary when they reached the battlefield. They ran around the bend to where a worn ragged flag of the training camp waved in the breeze. Agent Carter was sitting in the passenger’s side of a jeep and was paying attention to the exercise though she seemed disinterested, focusing on the clipboard in her hand.

The Drill Sergeant called for the soldiers to come to a stop by the flag and Steve desperately tried to catch up. He braced his hands on his knees and fought for his breath. At least this was getting a little bit easier and he wasn’t dying.

“That flag means we’re only at the halfway point. First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter.” The man called it out to the troop under his command. “Move, move!”

Steve stood back and watched as the soldiers rushed the flag pole. One by one they tried to climb up the pole. Hodge made it the furthest, but even though he was being encouraged by the others, he came crashing back down to the dirt.

“Nobody’s got that flag in 17 years! Now fall back into line! Come on, fall in!”

The soldiers all did as ordered, disappointed that they were unable to reach the flag. It meant running all the way back to the base. Steve waited until they had all moved out of the way to study the pole. He looked down at the base of it before looking up at the flag itself. Being a little guy, he had to figure out alternate ways of getting what he wanted or needed. There was another way to get the flag other than climbing the pole.

“Rogers! I said fall in!”

He heard the order, but an idea hit him at that moment. He pulled a small pin out of the base of the pole, then the larger pin. Sure enough, the pole went tumbling to the ground, crashing into the grass. Well, the man didn’t say how they had to get the flag, just to get it.

Steve could feel all the eyes on him as he flung the pins into the grass. He walked the length of the pole reaching down to unhook the flag. When he looked up, he saw the Drill Sergeant first, his jaw tight in surprise. Past him, Agent Carter was looking him over, an amused look on her features. Steve moved over to the man and handed him the flag. Still stunned, the man just took it without a word.

“Thank you, sir.” Steve was thankful. He was positive he probably would collapse on the run back. He wouldn’t admit that to anyone though as he walked around the back of the jeep. Stepping up on the back bumper, he hopped down into the back seat. Risking a glance back at the men, he could see the mixture of disgust and admiration on their features. He’d probably pay for this later, but right now he couldn’t really care about that.

When he turned back around, adjusting his helmet, he noticed Agent Carter was looking at him. He managed a small smile and nodded towards her in respect. She smiled back at him and turned back around. The jeep began to drive ahead and the Drill Sergeant managed to recover getting the men to start their running again. Steve just held onto his helmet, smiling and enjoying the breeze moving down the path back to the base.

~~~~~

“Faster, ladies! Come on.” Agent Carter shouted at the men as they were attempting to do push-ups. “My grandmother has more life in her, God rest her soul. Move it.”

She had to admit that she wasn’t all that impressed with this group of recruits. The men were all the same. Thick-headed, stubborn men who had no idea what the war front would be like. The only member that had caught her attention probably wouldn’t go much farther in the process. The week was at the end and today would be the day Dr. Erskine would choose his candidate for their top secret procedure.

This entire week, Steven Rogers had shown that he had heart. Even now as he was fighting to do a single push-up on the ground, he was putting everything he had into what he was doing. His tenacity had impressed her all week long and the bold stunt at the flag pole the other day had solidified her opinion. The odds of Rogers being picked were slim at best. His physical shortcomings were bound to keep him from receiving this chance…especially if Colonel Phillips had his way. Phillips wanted Hodge to be the one chosen, but she had heard that Erskine was thinking about choosing Rogers and that gave her a small bit of satisfaction in all of this.

Behind her, Colonel Phillips and Dr. Erskine were approaching the group. Phillips wasn’t pleased with the idea of the small skinny brat who had the worst stats in the history of the US Army possibly being chosen. He just couldn’t see what the good doctor saw in the man. Phillips would have to be careful in persuading the man otherwise. Whether he liked it or not, Erskine held all of the cards. The scientist was the one who created the serum that would change the world and he was the only one who knew the formula.

“You’re not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?” He wanted the truth from the man walking next to him. He needed to know his chances.

“I am more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice.”

Well those weren’t good odds. Erskine was sold on Rogers. The doctor knew of Phillips’ reservations. Looks could be deceiving though. He knew that the Colonel would not be convinced by his words. Phillips needed to see something Rogers himself.

“When you brought a 90 pound asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought, ‘what the hell.’ Maybe he’d be useful to you, like a gerbil. I never thought you’d pick him.”

As they walked around a supply truck to watch their recruits, Agent Carter ordered them up and got them working on their jumping jacks. Phillips watched Rogers get to his feet and begin to do as Agent Carter asked. The kid looked exhausted.

“You stick a needle in that kid’s arm, it’s gonna go right through him. Look at that. He’s making me cry.”

“I am looking for qualities beyond the physical.” Erskine spoke up, knowing it wasn’t enough to convince Phillips. No words were enough. As it was, the man was increasingly getting more and more frustrated and agitated.

“Do you know how long it took to set up this project? All the groveling I had to do in front of Senator what’s his name’s committees?’

“Brandt.” Erskine supplied. “Yes, I know. I am well aware of your efforts.”

“Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He’s big, he’s fast. He obeys orders. He’s a soldier.”

No, Hodge was definitely not going to work. He didn’t have the mentality to make this project successful. Erskine had already seen first-hand what happened to men like Gilmore Hodge. “He is a bully.”

“You don’t win war with niceness, Doctor.” Phillips remained unimpressed with the doctor’s words. He stepped around the man, pulling a dummy grenade used for testing purposes out of the box. He showed it to the other man. “You win wars with guts.”

He pulled the pin and released the lever. The men didn’t know it was a dummy, so this would be a great opportunity to see their reactions. Chucking it to the men still doing their exercise, he only had to yell one word.

“Grenade!”

Hodge and the rest of those big strong soldiers took one look at the grenade and scattered. Even some of the men training behind them ducked and covered at the word, unaware of where the little bomb was. Steve saw the grenade and his body just moved without thought. He ran towards it, jumping on top of it. Silently he apologized to Bucky for dying before he could make it to the battlefield, but he knew that he couldn’t sit back and let all these men and Agent Carter die.

“Get away! Get back!” He yelled when he heard footsteps approach him.

There was a tense silence. Steve could feel everyone watching him, but nothing was happening. Surely the grenade should have detonated by now. He looked up to see Agent Carter’s surprised face before she stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. Glancing around, he could see the soldiers of multiple troops looking at him as they recovered from the shock of the threat. Hodge was peeking out from behind the hood of the car.

“It was a dummy grenade.” Someone announced it from behind him. Apparently this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. “All clear. Back in formation.”

Steve was still on the ground trying to comprehend what had just happened. Agent Carter and Dr. Erskine both seemed pleased with the results of this little exercise. Phillips wasn’t too happy, but his expression was also resigned. To what, Steve didn’t know yet.

“Is this a test?” He asked, thoughts going back to when he asked the question to Dr. Erskine in the recruitment center. If it was, he hoped that he passed.

Erskine and Phillips looked at each other. The doctor shrugged his shoulder and Phillips shook his head. “He’s still skinny.”

After that, the Colonel walked away. Erskine allowed the smile to return to his face now that he knew that he was going to get what he wanted. He nodded at the young man who was now flopping on the ground now that the adrenaline was leaving him and the fatigue was setting in. Things were about to get interesting. Now he just had to hope that Rogers wouldn’t let him down and the project was a success.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I did promise you guys an update this week, so here it is. I'm celebrating my birthday today, so I'm feeling very generous, so you guys may want to keep a look out for a surprise in a bit on my writing tumblr.
> 
> This chapter was fun to switch POVs a bit. Skinny Steve is so fun to write as he interacts with others. That and Peggy is bad ass, even more so after watching season one of Agent Carter. (Fingers crossed for a second season.) Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy and please leave comments and kudos. They seriously make my day and are encouraging when it comes to me writing more often!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr:  
> (Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel): http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> (Writing Tumblr): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also find me on Instagram. I do post pictures of my writings and other projects. I tag most of my writing post for this with #PABOD. It's an inside joke from me and my writer friends, but it's a good tag to follow! @SilverCiels
> 
> Check out my other stories and let me know what you think!
> 
> Interlude Party: (Updated Chapter 3 - 12/28/2014) - Working on a new chapter. Will be up soon!  
> Side Stories that don't fit into All That's Left Is The Ghost of You or Before We Go  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829
> 
> And of course the story that started all this off:
> 
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapter 32- 02/22/2015...Updated weekly on Sunday)  
> Steve Rogers have lived through the last 60 years and has many regrets. Still fighting a war that should have ended a long time ago, Rogers is haunted by his past, but he must find the strength to make new friends and the confidence to lead a new team to end the war. (Phase One Avengers Movies if Steve had lived.)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846


	5. To Be Reborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve Rogers isn't a coward, but going into an experiment without knowing the consequences, he's a little nervous.

Steve had been a little surprised when he had received his orders to remain on base while the rest of the candidates for the experiment had been transferred to another base. Though he hadn’t been given all the exact details, at least he had a better idea of what this was all about. He had to admit that he was nervous about the whole thing, but he was determined to do it anyway. This was an experiment, science that Steve didn’t understand though he understood things could go wrong. It made the unease in his stomach increase, so after about twenty minutes trying to forget about everything, he distracted himself with a book. With everyone gone, the quiet was a bit eerie after weeks of rowdy evenings surrounded by men. At least Hodge wasn’t here to make any nasty remarks.

The knock on the barrack door startled him and he turned around to see Dr. Erskine poking his head into the room. Steve was quick to shut the book, marking his place, and setting it aside for the moment.

“May I?” The doctor hesitated in the doorway. In his hand was a bottle of something.

“Yeah.” Steve replied giving the man the go ahead to come into the room. Erskine left the door open as he approached. In his other hand was a pair of drinking glasses.

“Can’t sleep?” He observed setting the glasses down on the trunk at the end of Steve’s bed.

“I got the jitters, I guess.”

The doctor smiled flipping over the mattress on the bed opposite him. “Me, too.”

They were silent for only a moment and the one thing that had been nagging Steve since that day at the recruitment center was begging to be asked.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Just one?” The doctor sounded hesitant, but intrigued as he took a seat resting the bottle on his knee as he looked the younger man in the eye.

“Why me?”

The doctor grew pensive, glancing down at the bottle still in one hand. “I suppose that is the only question that matters.” He paused. “This is from Augsburg. My city. So many people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. You know, after the last war, my people struggled. They felt weak. They felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching and the big show and the flags. And he hears of me. My work. And he finds me. And he says, “You.” He says, “You will make us strong.” Well, I am not interested.”

Steve was hanging on his words. There had to be an answer to his question in here somewhere. He could tell that this was important, something Erskine wanted him to know.

“So he sends the head of Hydra, his research division. A brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle. And he is ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by the gods waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become that superior man.”

The doctor doesn’t tell Steve all of what happened that day, but it is so ingrained on his mind that he doesn’t think he will ever forget the details. How he was held at gunpoint by Schmidt and he still refused to work with Hydra. How Schmidt took his serum by force, injecting it into himself. How something went so terribly wrong. It was so hard to not tell the younger man what had happened, but with the procedure happening tomorrow, he didn’t want to give Steve a reason to back out now. The boy had admitted to being anxious about the whole thing. The last reason he needed was more to worry about.

He did tell Steve that Schmidt had taken the incomplete serum and used it on himself. If anything good came out of that awful day, it was that the serum could work. Erskine had his theories on why it hadn’t worked on Schmidt the way it was intended, but without studying the man, which was impossible in every way at this point, there was no concrete way to know.

“Did it make him stronger?” Steve asked looking down at the book in his hand, afraid of what the answer might be.

“Yes. But there were other effects. The serum was not ready.” Erskine replied, the sound of Schmidt’s screams filling his ears and the sight of all that red. He needed to give the man in front of him some hope. After all, there was no doubt in his mind that if anyone could receive his serum and transform, Steven Rogers would be that man. “But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great. Bad becomes worse.”

Steve thought about what the man in front of him was saying. It was an answer to his question, but it left so many more unanswered. He really wasn’t all that great, at least not as good as Erskine was making him out to be. As it was, he wasn’t so sure that anything would make sense to him. At least not until the procedure was done and they found out what would become of him.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified, but he wasn’t completely a coward. He kept telling himself throughout the weeks that this was his shot…that this was the only way to catch up to his friend…to fight in this war where so many others were fighting or had died defending their country. When it came down to it though, he really did have something to prove.

“This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength. And knows compassion.”

Erskine’s words felt heavy when he listened and understood what the man meant. He was carrying a lot of hopes and dreams on his back with this and the weight, while not oppressive, was still a lot for him to deal with in the moment.

“Thanks. I think.” He managed to smile at Erskine. Just a tilt of his lips on one side and Erskine smiled back. He gestured to the glasses, which Steve grabbed while the older man uncorked the bottle in his hand. Steve held out the cups for Erskine to fill.

“Whatever happens tomorrow you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are.” Erskine took a glass from Steve’s hand looking up to stare into the other man’s eyes. He was serious about this and he wanted his word. “Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”

Erskine pointed at his heart as he spoke. Steve really didn’t know what to say to that, but he managed to hold up the glass still in his hand. “To the little guys.”

Erskine chuckled and they brought the glasses to their lips when Erskine realized something.

“No, no. Wait, wait. What I am doing? No, you have procedure tomorrow. No fluids.”

Oops. Steve had forgotten as well and let the glass be swiped by the doctor. It was okay, he wasn’t really too upset about the loss of alcohol, but he had to admit he was curious about the German brew.

“All right. We’ll drink it after.” Steve said as he watched Erskine pour the contents of one glass into the other.

“No, I don’t have procedure tomorrow. Drink it after? I drink it now.”

Steve couldn’t help but smirk at the doctor’s words. Somehow, the nervousness he had felt was beginning to slowly slip away. As the older man tossed back the drink, Steve had to wonder what state the man was going to be in tomorrow if he got a little bit drunk tonight. That alone was enough to drive away the last bit of lingering negative thoughts away. They would be back full force in the morning, but at least he’d be able to sleep.

~~~~~

Dr. Zola entered the lab. He’d forgotten a folder in his haste to leave earlier and it wasn’t something he could continue without. Entering the room, he could hear the sound of operatic music playing, a sign the Schmidt was probably behind his desk. Stepping into the main part of the room, he was stopped by a sight that stunned every time he saw it. Before he could comment, the light illuminating Schmidt’s face were cut off by the man, drowning his form in the dark.

“Is there something in particular you need?”

Folder forgotten, Zola saw the need for the lights to be on. A painter sat off to the side, his pallet covered in a familiar red shade. The man stared at him warily as if to question his authority in disturbing Schmidt and what was occurring. The painter said nothing and Zola thought it best to bring up the other reason he had come.

“I understand you found him.”

“See for yourself.” Schmidt pointed out a set of photographs sitting on the lower desk. Sure enough they were pictures of Erskine and a few other men, probably bodyguards seeing as Schmidt had been trying to track the elder man down for a while now. He cautiously picked up a picture. His face must have betrayed his thoughts as the Hydra head made a comment. “You disapprove.”

Zola managed to plaster a smile on his face, as if finding Erskine was some great feat. He chose his words carefully so not to invoke Schmidt’s legendary temper. There was no way to know how the man would react when he was in a revealing state. “I just don’t see why you need concern yourself. I can’t imagine he will succeed….Again.”

“The serum is the Allies’ only defense against this power we now possess. If we take it away from them, then our victory is assured.”

Zola couldn’t argue with that. With Erskine dead, the Allies, especially the Americans, would have no hope. “Shall I give the order?”

“It has been given.” Schmidt answered, his tone giving away his frustration of this topic. Zola knew it was time to step away and let it be.

“Good.” He commented, turning to leave. Right now he just needed to get away.

“Dr. Zola!” Zola turned at the call and the lights came back on. He’d be a fool not to. “What do you think?”

Zola risked a few steps towards the painting. He studied it, making his facial features match an observer as he nodded at the work. The painter was tense knowing that his head could very well be on the line if this was not what the man wanted.

“A masterpiece.” Zola commented, putting all the awe and reverence that he could into his voice. The painting was a perfect rendering of Schmidt, though Zola wasn’t sure if anything could make the monstrosity that Schmidt had become look pretty. It was all that he could say as he turned to leave and left the painter to be a possible martyr for their cause. After all, there were only so many ways to make a monster look good.

~~~~~

The streets of Brooklyn were nostalgic as Steve looked out the widow of the car. He had a fitful night, and lay awake long before the sun came up. Eventually, he had just dressed in his military uniform and waited for someone to come for him. He had been surprised when it had been Agent Carter and one other officer.

The drive from Camp Leigh was long and quiet and tense. Steve didn’t know what to say to the woman sitting next to her. He’d never been good with talking to beautiful women, and the last thing he wanted to do was insult her when he had a lot of respect for her. For the first half of the trip, she had worked on some paperwork, but that had long been tucked away as they drove through the streets. Steve watched as a few boys playing ball in the street scattered as they approached. That was when a few noticeable spots popped up.

“I know this neighborhood.” He commented out of the blue. “I got beat up in that alley…and that parking lot…and behind that diner.”

He realized what he said and looked down at his lap. Mentally he berated himself. That was a great way to make an impression on the woman sitting next to him.

“Did you have something against running away?”

He shook his head, but he still couldn’t bring himself to look at her. He was too embarrassed. “You start running, they’ll never let you stop. You stand up, you push back. They can’t say no forever, right?”

“I know a little of what that’s like, to have every door shut in your face.” Peggy commented.

“I guess I just don’t know why you’d want to join the Army if you were a beautiful dame. Or a…a woman. An agent. Not a dame.” He could feel her eyes glaring at him. “You are beautiful, but…”

“You have no idea how to talk to a woman, do you?”

“I think this is the longest conversation I’ve had with one.” He wanted to laugh at his own awkwardness, but refrained so that he really didn’t look like an idiot. “Women aren’t exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on.”

“You must have danced.” Peggy’s voice was quiet and thoughtful.

“Well, asking a woman to dance always seemed so terrifying. And the past few years, it just didn’t seem to matter that much. I figured I’d wait.” He shrugged.

“For what?”

“The right partner.”

In no time at all, they pulled up in front of an old antique store. Steve recognized the place, but he never had any reason to go inside. It wasn’t like he had anything of value to sell or any money to buy. He opened the door, climbing out onto the street with Agent Carter right behind him.

“This way.” She ordered walking towards the shop. Steve couldn’t help noticing the well-dressed men talking nearby, or the fact that ordinary people on the street were staring at those in suits and uniforms. It made him feel very exposed.

“What are we doing here?”

“Follow me.” Agent Carter replied, not answering his question. He supposed that his question would be answered soon enough. Steve put his hat on his head and stepped into the shop a few steps behind his escort.

Once inside the shop he took a moment to look around as he shut the door. Agent Carter stepped deeper into the room her eyes scanning the interior of the shop as if she was searching for something specific. Steve came to stand behind her as an elderly woman came through a curtain that led to the back. She smiled gently as she would with any customer as she immediately began to speak to them. Instead of a traditional greeting, she said, “Wonderful weather this morning, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Agent Carter agreed instantly. “But I always carry an umbrella.”

The older woman walked over to the main desk and reached a hand under it as if she was holding something down. Peggy just nodded and before Steve could ask what was going on, they were walking through the same curtain the shop keeper had come out of moments before. Peggy stopped in front of a bookshelf and when Steve approached, the bookshelf swung outward, revealing the hallway behind it. A handful of army staff and doctors worked or ran behind the doors, scrambling for something Steve wasn’t sure of. All he could do was to follow Agent Carter down the hallway. They rounded a few bends and a pair of double doors were opened up for them.

The room was large and very spacious. Scientists and doctors stood on the floor around several control panels. Larger ones lined the back wall just under the windows. In the center of the room, a machine took up most of the space elevated as if on a pedestal. A small industrial set of steps set beside the machine was the only way to reach the platform on top of the machine.

Everyone, including Dr. Erskine paused to look up at Steve and Agent Carter when they entered. The room was silent as no one even rustled a paper or made a motion to move at all. Steve swallowed hard. The nerves he had felt the night before were back and worse than before. He glanced over to look at Agent Carter. She gave him a bit of a skeptical look before she could hide it. Taking a deep breath she changed it to a soft reassuring smile. Was his nervousness really that obvious?

With a tilt of her head, he didn’t have any other option than to follow her down the stairs and deeper into the room. Once in the center of the room, Steve abandoned Peggy Carter to walk over to Dr. Erskine. She followed behind him now as Erskine started to step towards them.

“Good morning.” Erskine spoke, his voice low and warm and a bit comforting. He held out his hand and Steve took it, shaking it in greeting. His words were stuck in his throat right now. The flash of the camera was bright and he stepped back even as Erskine turned to glare at the cameraman. “Please, not now.”

The camera man stepped away at the reprimand leaving him and Agent Carter and the doctor in the true center of the room. Steve’s eyes caught the machine as they adjusted and he went still, studying it. He wasn’t a man of science, but parts of it were familiar enough. It looked like the platform was constructed like a hospital exam table with the instruments attached to it. Steve didn’t know what they were for and the fear of the unknown was creeping up. Taking a few breaths he steeled his nerve. He could do this.

“Are you ready?” Dr. Erskine asked drawing attention back to him. Steve could only nod, still worried that his voice would betray him or the words wouldn’t come. “Good. Take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat.”

Steve fumbled, unsure of what should go first. He went for the button of his shirt, but the tie was in the way. Then he grabbed the knot and his hat slid forward on his head. The hat…it had to go first. He grabbed it off his head handing it off to the nurse that approached him. His fingers shook as he pulled the knot of his tie down. He could do this.

~~~~~

Up in the viewing booth, Colonel Phillips stepped into the room with all the supporters and donators to their cause. The one thing he hated about this job was all the sucking up he had to do, the maneuvering it took to get the littlest thing that they needed. Now…well hopefully now…things would pay off. If Erskine was successful, then he may have an army of soldiers ready to get this war done and over with and with a win on America’s hands. Immediately he approached the Senator who had been placed in charge of this little project. This was where he would get his ass handed to him a bit but an ignorant man of power and then work his magic to try to get him to see the value in what they were working for…and what they could achieve.

“Senator Brandt, glad you could make it.” He shook the man’s hand.

“Why exactly am I in Brooklyn?”

“We needed access to the city’s power grid. Of course, if you’d given me the generators I requisitioned…”

“A lot of people are asking for funds, Colonel.” Brandt cut him off turning to glance at the man behind him. “This is…uh…”

“Fred Clemson, State Department.” The man supplied. He wore a suit and had thick rimmed glasses and a slick hair cut that made the Colonel dislike him immediately. Another paper pusher to wade through. Shaking this man’s hand was routine and he kept on running his mouth. “If this project of yours comes through, we’d like to see it used for something other than headlines.”

The Colonel couldn’t agree more, but before he could say so he could hear the little grunt come from the Senator. “Jesus. Somebody get that kid a sandwich.”

They all turned to look out the window to see Rogers standing on the top stair to the machine. He looked even worse without the shirt to hide his pale sickly skin and the bones on his skinny frame. Colonel Phillips bit back any sounds and hid any reaction to that comment. This was make it or break it time. If he second guessed Erskine’s choice in a candidate and the operation proved to be successful, well then, he would look like an idiot to the brass. No, he needed to save face despite his reservations about using Rogers for this. He could always admit later, if things went horribly wrong, that he never wanted the man used for the project and put all the blame on Erskine if he had to.

                                                                                                 ~~~~~

Steve climbed onto the machine, laying down as Erskine had instructed him to do. The room was cold and he used the temperature to ground himself taking a few deep breaths and focusing on the ceiling above. He heard Erskine approach but didn’t take his eyes off the ceiling.

“Comfortable?” The doctor asked him, trying to sound a bit lighthearted.

“Huh.” Steve huffed a laugh. “It’s a little big”

He turned and smiled at the doctor. It was better if he tried to ignore the other people in the room. The doctor chuckled in response and Steve huffed again. It was all nerves for the both of them, but they were going to do this.

“You save me any of that schnapps?”

“Not as much as I should have. Sorry. Next time.” Erskine shrugged at his admission and at least looked legitimately sorry. “Mr. Stark, how are your levels?”

The name made Steve glance over to see the CEO of Stark Industries approach from the stairs. Great, just great, the man who had embarrassed himself on stage all those months ago was here and a part of this. Hopefully, things wouldn’t get screwed up.

Steve felt like he shouldn’t have been too surprised though. Stark was the weapon’s manufacturer for the government and there wasn’t a soul in the US that didn’t know that. Most of this machinery was probably his originally or invented by him.

“Levels at 100%.”

“Good.” Erskine responded seeming unfazed by the man’s presence.

“We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready as we’ll ever be.”

From the inventor’s tone shift, Steve felt that the man wasn’t all that confident in either the project or his own work. He hoped it was the former and not the latter, not that it mattered. If something went wrong Steve was screwed either way. It was too late now though. He was strapped down in the machine and he doubted anyone was going to let him stop this.

“Agent Carter, don’t you think you would be more comfortable in the booth?” Dr. Erskine spoke loud enough for Steve to hear and it was a welcome distraction.

“Oh yes, of course. Sorry.”

“Good.” Erskine commented before turning to go and find the microphone.

Steve watched her go. She glanced back once pursing her lips together before climbing the stairs without another glance. Steve was almost disappointed and it seemed despite her earlier frustrations, she was a little worried for him. He turned to look back at the ceiling trying to tune out the world again…to not panic.

The tapping of the microphone and the following high pitch squeal didn’t even faze him, but he could feel all the eyes turn to look at them. The scientists, the doctors, the nurses, even the men and women up in the booth that he knew was there…they were all looking down on him and Erskine waiting to see what would happen.

“Do you hear me? Is this on? Ladies and Gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace.” As Erskine spoke, one of the scientists moved two panels down so that they rested on Steve’s chest. He just looked up, keeping his expression neutral as he listened to the doctor speak. “We begin with a series of microinjections into the subject’s major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays.”

Erskine put the microphone down going back to talk to Steve one last time. As he had spoken, the nurses had placed six of the seven vials of serum into the machine and one was giving Steven an injection into his arm. The man’s face scrunched up and Erskine knew that he was preparing for whatever pain he believed the serum would cause, but a standard injection shouldn’t hurt.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Steve commented.

“That was penicillin.” Erskine told him, warning him that the pain was still to come. Steve glanced at him shocked a bit and Erskine rolled his eyes before focusing again. “Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two,…” He paused to place a reassuring hand on Steve’s shoulder as the other panels, the ones that would inject Rogers with the serum lowered to his skin. “…One.”

They watched as the serum began to empty from the vials and into Roger’s veins. He groaned softly at the pain before his eyes shot open. Erskine nodded to Stark. “Now, Mr. Stark.”

Howard flipped a switch on his panel and the staff stepped back as the machine moved. Steve found that after a moment of shifting, he was upright and the doors were swinging closed encasing him in the machine. He was too short and couldn’t see out of the machine window. As it was, he was distracted by the sensations the serum coursing through his body was causing. It didn’t hurt and it felt strange, but there was more to it, something he couldn’t find words to describe. It was the taping on the machine and Dr. Erskine’s voice that brought him back to reality.

“Steven? Can you hear me?”

He knew he needed to answer. They would stop if he didn’t and now he could hear the people moving around on the outside and feel the cool air being pumped into the enclosed chamber he found himself in. It was all very grounding as he found the words to answer Dr. Erskine.

“It’s probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?”

He saw the shadow of Erskine on the window move away. “We will proceed.”

Erskine and the rest of the crew stepped away from the machine. After all, the Vita-Rays would give off some radiation that could have a negative effect on them. Stark nodded, moving over to turn the part of the machine that controlled the Vita-Rays on, sliding dark glasses over his eyes. On the next panel was the wheel that would increase the intensity of the rays gradually. Gripping it with firm hands, he slowly began to turn it, watching as the dial began to rise on the meter measuring the output.

“That’s ten percent. Twenty percent. Thirty.” He said informing the doctor and his colleagues of the progress. From the window, they could see inside the machine at the intensity of the light coming from the rays. With the increase, it became brighter and brighter. “That’s forty percent.”

“Vital signs are normal.” Someone called out and Stark continued to increase.

“That’s 50%. Sixty. Seventy.”

And that’s when the screaming began. The sound echoed throughout the room and Dr. Erskine’s head and Stark’s turned at the sound. Rogers was in pain.

“Steven!” Erskine called, climbing the steps to see if he could see anything in the window. It was too bright and Roger’s face couldn’t be seen. He banged on the door trying to get the man’s attention. “Steven!”

“Shut it down!” Agent Carter yelled from the walkway above. She had jumped up out of her seat when Rogers had first cried out. It was painful to hear from him. She called again a little louder this time, bracing her hands on the banister. “Shut it down!”

“Kill the reactor, Mr. Stark. Turn it off! Kill it! Kill the reactor!” Erskine ordered and Howard moved, his hand on the switch to turn it off.

“No!”

That one word made everything stop. Erskine snapped around at the sound. Stark paused, unable to flip the switch.

“Don’t! I can do this!”

Stark didn’t even wait for the order to come. Rogers was determined to do this, so they were going to finish it. He turned the wheel again. “Eighty. Ninety. That’s one-hundred percent.”

The light was so bright from the machine that now no one could see. The machine hummed and then the machines and power grids sparked at the surge and the light from the machine cut off. The room was eerily silent as the spectators and workers all watched, holding their breaths until they could see the outcome. There was no movement, no sound coming from the enclosure. For one moment, Erskine was a little afraid even as he turned to look at Stark who was taking off his glasses.

“Mr. Stark?”

Howard moved hitting the switch that would open the doors and reveal the outcome.

~~~~~

When the serum had been injected into his veins, he had felt a coldness seep into his body unlike anything he had ever felt before. He had expected it to hurt, feared that it would, but when it didn’t, it left him feeling confused. It wasn’t as bad as everyone told him it might have been.

Then the heat and the pain had come. Steve had experienced his fair share of broken bones and a long list of ailments over his life so far. Nothing could have prepared him for the kind of pain that he had just endured. First it had only been a heat that got so hot it felt like he was burning from the inside out. It wasn’t on his skin, but beneath it, in his veins and muscles and every cell of his body. The brightness of the light hurt his eyes to the point where he had no choice but to close them and grit his teeth on the onslaught of the pain. Then he felt the changes.

He felt the harsh beating of his overworking heart, the twisting of his lungs to the point where it hurt far worse than any asthma attack he’d experienced thus far. He felt the pull, the stretch of skin over bone and muscle…and that’s when he found the air to scream. The last thing he had wanted was to cry out in the pain, but it slipped out before the thought of holding it back had ever entered his mind.

He heard Erskine calling his name. He heard Peggy’s shouts to shut down the experiment and the orders that followed. At that moment, he didn’t know why he had cried out asked them to stop, he didn’t know where that strength came from, but when the light hadn’t dimmed and the pain didn’t stop, he knew he’d been heard.

Those moments after were agonizing to the point where he wondered if he would survive it all and then it just stopped. The light cut out and the excruciating pain slipped away to a dull ache. He fought to draw air into his lungs and that’s when he could feel it. The sensation of his lungs filling…the strong, steady beat of his heart…the shift of muscle under his skin…was this what he was supposed to be feeling? Was he dead? After all, that could have been an option even with the aches and pains of his body. Maybe he was getting there and hadn’t quite died just yet.

He heard Erskine call for Stark and had his answer. He was still alive at least, but he was tired, so very tired. He heard the pressure give way and heard the doors opened as his head rolled off to one side. He heard the doctor call his name repeatedly and felt the steady hands on his body. That’s when he managed to open his eyes…

…and realized things had changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All righty! Here's the next installment. I'm running out the door to do a quick errand, so I'm sorry to run, but I hope you enjoy! Please leave comments and kudos to let me know what you think!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr/Instagram/Twitter:  
> Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel: http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> Writing Tumblr (I post previews of stuff here): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/  
> Instagram (I post previews and statuses. Follow #HydraVerse): SilverCiels  
> Twitter (Not as active on here, but feel free to follow): @SilverCiels
> 
> Check out my other stories and let me know what you think!
> 
> Interlude Party: (Updated Chapter 3 - 12/28/2014) - Working on a new chapter. Will be up soon!  
> Side Stories that don't fit into All That's Left Is The Ghost of You or Before We Go  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829
> 
> And of course the story that started all this off:
> 
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapters 36 & 37 - 04/12/2015...Updated weekly on Sunday)  
> Steve Rogers have lived through the last 60 years and has many regrets. Still fighting a war that should have ended a long time ago, Rogers is haunted by his past, but he must find the strength to make new friends and the confidence to lead a new team to end the war. (Phase One Avengers Movies if Steve had lived.)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846


	6. Cutting Off Heads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is experiencing hard living from the war and the 107th gets their orders. Meanwhile, Steve has to adjust to changes and has his first experience with a Hydra agent.

The blank piece of paper sitting in front of him should have been filled with words, words that he wanted to send back home. Home to Steve, but there was just one problem. He didn’t know what to say to Steve, didn’t know how he could put what he was feeling down on paper, but he didn’t know what would anger Steve, or worse, give away how he felt. He was such a pathetic man.

“I went through all that trouble to get you some paper and you’re not doing a damn thing with it. That’s not very nice, Sarge, or do you prefer Jimmy Boy?”

Bucky sighed. Trust one of the men to stick their noses in his business. He guessed it was one of the things that came with a night or two drinking with his squad.

“Damn it, Dugan. If you’re gonna call me by my name use Bucky and none of that ‘Jimmy Boy’ crap. I’m gonna write the letter, just not right now. It’s too loud and I can’t focus.”

Timothy ‘Dum Dum’ Dugan grinned as he walked into the tent and plopped down on his cot on the other side of the tent pulling out a flask of his liquor stash. Dugan was one of the more talkative members of his squadron. He was also brash and reckless which earned him his nickname. It was those qualities that made it difficult for many people to stand him for long. Of course that meant he bunked up with one of the lower command…so Bucky had been volunteered to try and wrangle him in.

Their other tent mate, Gabriel Jones, was absent, probably gone off to find some solitude from the handful of racist bastards who haggled him. Gabe was one of a handful of black men serving in their unit. He was from up North like Bucky, well-educated, well-spoken, and helpful. The only thing that seemed to limit the man was the color of his skin. Still he didn’t let anything bother him, often saying that in a instances of life and death it’s funny how the barriers blur. Bucky understood that well enough and that was one of the many reasons Bucky had stepped in to diffuse some tense situations between the racist whites and the black soldiers. Gabe had been grateful and put in a request to transfer from the crammed tent to Bucky’s.

It made it easier that all three men got along well enough and they watched each other’s backs at night. After the first couple there hadn’t been any more incidents of someone trying to break into the tent at night to harass the men. Especially since Bucky had done the ass kicking. It helped that’s what Steve would have done if he were here. Bucky shook the thought from his head. As much as he wanted to write the letter, another part of him didn’t want to think about Steve right now.

“Something wrong, Sarge?” Dugan asked after taking a swig from his flask. “You’re a bit distracted tonight. Thinkin’ about someone back home?”

“It’s nothin’.” Bucky’s accent was thick as looked down at the paper again. Maybe he could write to his sister. Maybe he could ask her to visit Steve and check on him. Yeah, that’s what he could do or should do at least. Then maybe he wouldn’t worry about the punk on top of everything else.  


The wind howled against the tents. The fabric did nothing to keep out the chill and it was difficult to see in the dim lights of the lanterns. It was bad enough their supplies were rationed, but Bucky had wasted the light by staring down at blank paper all night long. They were stuck, camping there awaiting their orders to move out. Orders probably delayed in the wet, windy weather.

“You know, I gotta girl back home. Really pretty, promised to wait for me after the war was over and hinted at saying yes if I proposed to her. If we make it out of this damn war alive, might just do that.”

Bucky exhaled loudly covering his eyes over his face. He was trying to rub the tension from his head, but Dugan’s prattling wasn’t helping the situation at all. The man took another swig of his flask and leaned back on the cot.

“Damn wind. It’s gonna be hard to sleep tonight. Hey Sarge, you think we’ll get out orders tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, now quit yapping so I can start this.” Bucky leaned against the makeshift table and wrote the date up at the top like he’d been taught to do when sending a letter. Instead of writing his sister like he wanted to, the words began to flow as he wrote a letter to his best friend.

He wrote about how he was, asked how Steve was doing. He practically begged the younger man to stop trying to sign up for this war. Bucky had known going in that war wasn’t some glamourous thing, but sitting here in this dingy tent in the middle of nowhere in England he had realized that the experiences of being a part of the war were so much different than the news reels he and Steve would go off to see in a theater. Steve, even as tough as he was for a little guy, wasn’t meant to be out here and Bucky wasn’t sure how long the younger man would go before he broke. Hell, he probably wouldn’t make it out of boot camp. Bucky knew that Steve was safe from all of this, but as he was writing, he had a nagging feeling in his gut that the punk was probably off doing something reckless.

He assured Steve that he was fine, telling him about Dugan and Gabe and some of the antics of the division to keep Steve from being too worried. By now, news of the air raids over London and other major cities in England had bound to reach back home. Bucky had seen first-hand the destruction caused by such a blast. Thankfully the unit hadn’t been too close when the bombs hit, but when the city was in the clear, many of the men had volunteered to help search for survivors and clean up. Bucky had nearly been sick by the time he returned to camp, but he’d managed to hold it together.

At the end of the letter, he couldn’t help but add that he missed Steve and he was a little homesick. He told Steve to continue to take care of himself, check in on his family in his absence, and to find a way to support himself and the war back home. He knew that would probably anger the man, but he couldn’t help writing down the words. They were more for his sake than anything else. Bucky hadn’t even seen any major combat yet, but he secretly hoped that the fighting wouldn’t go to his homeland. For a moment he wondered if Pearl Harbor looked something like how London had looked after a raid and physically shook his head, signing the letter before reading it over.

“Who’s Steve?” Dugan asked, slurring his words a bit. Bucky was startled, not realizing the man was behind him now. When had he moved?

“Damn it, Dugan. Don’t sneak up on people and cut off on the booze. We may be moving out in the morning and the last thing you need is a hangover.”

“You’re a killjoy, Sarge. Didn’t answer my question.”

“A friend from back home. He’s keeping an eye out on my family for me.” Bucky partially lied, but Dugan didn’t need to know that.

“Why’s he back home and not here with us?”

Bucky sighed. Dugan didn’t have a filter when he was sober. It gradually got worse as he went from tipsy to drunk. Right now the man was somewhere in between.

“He’s sickly, not that it stopped him. Found out he tried to enlist a few times, but got rejected. He’s a stubborn one, always pickin’ fights he shouldn’t. Can’t count the number of times he’s pulled me into a fight. Been like that since we were kids.”

“Sounds like a good man.” Dugan said as he slumped back down on his cot. It wouldn’t take much for the man to pass out. Hopefully the snoring would be kept to a minimum that night.

“He is.” Bucky had the last say on the matter as a bit of commotion could be heard over the wind. Bucky was on his feet as Dugan fought to sit up at least.

“What in the hell is that?”

“Don’t know. I’m gonna go check it out.”

Bucky grabbed his coat and threw it over his head to try and block some of the rain before stepping out of the tent. He took a moment to secure the flap before taking off to where he saw several soldiers gathering. He couldn’t hear anything over the wind, but he could see Gabe was standing close enough that maybe he wouldn’t need to be in the rain for very long. Sure enough when Gabe saw him the man began to jog in the mud towards him.

“Come on, let’s head back to the tent and I’ll let you know what’s up.”

Bucky nodded and they went to find shelter. When they entered Dugan was laying on the cot, snoring loudly. Gabe walked over to the man and shook him harshly.

“Dugan, wake up. We got our orders.”

The man was a seasoned drinker, but he was good about being woken up. He was groggy making nonsense grunts and groans as Gabe helped him to sit up. Bucky threw his coat on a box to dry before sitting back down.

“What’s going on?” Dugan managed to get out, blinking owlishly, trying to make himself more aware.

“Our orders came. We’re moving out at 0800 hours for the coast.”

“Where are we going?”

“The command wants the 107th to head to Azzano, Italy. Apparently they’ve agreed to send American, French, and British troops to attempt to raid a large weapon’s facility run by Hydra.”

“Hydra?” Bucky asked.

“Some Nazi science division. Apparently they’re in charge of creating weapons for the Germans. If we can take out the facility we might put a strain on German ammunition and weapon supply. The higher ups must think it’s worth the risk, though it’ll take weeks for us to reach it, which is why we’re to move out as soon as possible.”

Bucky nodded, taking in all the information. That meant they would either need to pack up tonight and try to get as much sleep as possible or wait out packing in the morning. Either way, it didn’t give much time for sleep, but Bucky was slowly getting used to that.

“I’m gonna pack up what I can tonight. You two do what you want.”

“I’ll get mine in the morning. Gotta sleep off the booze.” Dugan muttered flopping back down on the cot causing it to squeak a bit.

“I’m gonna miss having the cots. Nothing but cold hard ground to sleep on for the next couple of weeks.” Gabe commented. “Might as well enjoy it while we can. Probably the last warm meal we’ll get for a while too.”

“Probably.” Bucky wasn’t really in the mood to talk after that. He was too busy trying to focus on packing the things he would need to carry with him. At least he had learned from basic not to bring anything too personal to the warfront. The men who’d made that mistake had been forced to give up their personal belongings in favor of being able to carry their packs and equipment. Bucky only had a book, a few photographs of home, and a sketchbook of sketches Steve had given to him. The items fit snugly into the folds of his sleeping bag, so if he went down while marching at least he’d have a few pieces of home with him. He wasn’t looking forward to moving on, especially if they were going to have to march in this weather.

He picked up the letter he’d written to Steve. His heart was heavy. There wasn’t going to be enough time to send the letter out between tonight and tomorrow. It was going to have to wait for the troops to reach a town, but who knew when that would be. Carefully, he folded up the letter, sliding it like a bookmark into the sketchbook and tucked it into his things. Silently he apologized to his best friend as he finished packing everything but his sleeping bag before curling up on the cot and closed his eyes.

The last thought he had before falling asleep was the image of the face of his best friend. Bucky wasn’t really a religious person, but he could do this for Steve. He could pray that the man would be kept safe from all of this. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had to offer, so it would have to be enough.

~~~~~

Steve was breathing heavily, noting that Dr. Erskine and Howard Stark were standing next to him, holding him steady as he tried to find solid ground on his new longer legs. Air was rushing in and out, heavy from his lungs. His heart was pounding and he was oh so tired. The crowd of workers rushed the men and Steve couldn’t help noticing that he was looking down at everyone instead of up. He looked down at his body trying to believe what he was seeing.

Instead of the skinny, extremely pale form he had lived with his entire life until now, he was looking at a muscular frame and dare he say a tanned skin tone. Despite his shakiness, his legs were a bit longer, solid and sturdy covered in the military issue pants. Even his feet looked a bit bigger and further away. It was jarring, disorienting. The serum had really done all of this?

Above the military and political brass were getting to their feet. Philips was as shocked as the rest of them as he looked out the window. He was the only one sitting in his seat, shaking his head a bit in disbelief even as his words betrayed him with confirmation. “The son of a bitch did it.”

Back below, Dr. Erskine was softly calling Steve’s first name, trying to get his attention. Steve knew he had to say something, let them know that he was all right after all that screaming. His throat felt a little scratchy from that, but it wasn’t as bad as it normally was. His voice came out raspy and a bit deep as he managed to speak. “I did it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Erskine sounded like he was pleased. “I think we did.”

“You actually did it.” Howard murmured, hands shaky as he helped keep Steve upright. Steve felt a little intimidated by the crowd around him but when he managed to look up, Agent Carter was standing directly in front of him, concern still layered in her features. She was breathing heavy herself, probably because she had just run down the stairs to be here. It took a moment for her to collect herself and catch her breath.

“How do you feel?” She asked, still a bit breathless but her tone composed.

Steve took a few deep breaths, finally finding some strength in his legs to stand on his own. Erskine kept a hand on his back in encouraging support as he managed to stand his full height, glancing around the room. Only one word came to mind, and Steve just hoped it wouldn’t offend her, but it just seemed to fit the situation. “Taller.”

Peggy reached out to him, hesitating before touching his chest. Embarrassed, she snatched the white shirt out of the waiting nurse’s hands to try and hide the fact. She opened it up handing it to Steve. “Um…you look taller.”

Off to the side, Phillips was coming down the stairs, stopping just next to the Senator. Leaning in, he was feeling a little bit smug now that the project was successful. “How do you like Brooklyn now, Senator?”

“I can think of some folks in Berlin who are about to get very nervous.” The Senator got out before Phillips stepped forward towards the success story.

Behind the men, Clemson held back, watching carefully. He glanced around the room, looking at where the MPs and guards were posted, looking where the exits were. No one was paying him any mind as he fingered the lighter in his pocket. He was seething at the success, unfazed by the atmosphere of wonder and excitement. He had to remain calm, to be alert. After all, he was given this mission by the head of Hydra. Even if it cost him his life, he couldn’t fail.

The Senator was congratulating the doctor and the doctor was thanking him for it. Rogers was fumbling trying to get the white, army regulated undershirt on. It was too tight, probably because no one had actually expected this to work, but it had. Erskine was looking his way, his face curious and then filled with realization. Yes, he’d met the doctor before when the man had been working with Schmidt. It was why he’d hung back, but now…yes, it was time to end it. It was time for the doctor to see his death coming and to steal the new serum if he could. Red Skull would be most pleased if his optional mission was carried out.

He pulled out the lighter from his pocket, flicking it open. Erskine watched in horror as he flicked the wheel. It did more than just spark. It was rigged to the little present that he’d left in his seat. Something inconspicuous that no one would’ve noticed. Weak, foolish Americans…

The blast shattered the window. It was more a distraction than meant to harm anyone. Still, glass rained down on the people below. The doctor was the first to recover, but he was already racing for the vial. Turning, he could see Rogers trying to stand up again and both Erskine and the Colonel looking directly at him. Yanking his gun from its holster, he began to shoot at the crowd, watching as Erskine shifted with the force of the bullets entering his body. Then he began to run up the stairs.

Steve amidst the struggle saw the doctor fall. He scrambled, tripping over frantic people as he knelt down beside the man. They had to get him to a hospital. He could still hear the sound of gunshots, saw Agent Carter firing out of the corner of his eye and heard the screams of the men as they were shot and hit. His main focus was on Erskine who was remarkably silent.

He looked up at Steve as he fought for his last few breaths. With his remaining strength, he lifted his hand, poking Steve in the chest above his heart. The same place that he had the night before. Steve knew what it meant. He could hear the words ringing in his head, the promise he had made.

_…Not a perfect solder, but a good man…._

Good men didn’t let bad men get away with this. He had to stop him, had to get the unused vial of serum back. He didn’t have time for this as he left the man. Despite Colonel Phillips’ yells to come back…to stand down…he was on his feet climbing up the stairs. Where he had been shaky before, he was finding his balance. It still took him a few minutes to climb up the stairs and by the time he made it through the halls and out into the shop he could hear the screams and the continuing sounds of gunfire.

He could see the cab heading straight for Agent Carter, could see it racing towards her as she shot and missed. He’d already lost Erskine today. He didn’t want to lose another person. Without really thinking about it, Steve was racing out onto the street tackling Agent Carter out of the way. He rolled with her towards the far side of the street as the yellow cab sped past them and momentarily out of sight.

“I had him!” Peggy yelled as she climbed to her feet. Steve followed suit.

He turned began to run shouting back a quick, “Sorry!”

That was when he really began to run. The adrenaline was fueling his body, but it was a strange and wondrous sensation. Muscles moved, his lungs took in air without a struggle, his heart pounding solidly in his chest. Everything was clearer, brighter, and more brilliant than it had been before. The yellow of the cab was blinding as he turned down a side street, checking alleyways for a sight of the vehicle. He managed a couple of times.

He made a turn, caught sight of the cab, but in his haste, he hadn’t quite perfected moving his body. Instead of going the direction he wanted, the force of his running and the slight imbalance of his body sent him flying through the show window of a bridal dress shop, knocking over a vase of flowers on the way it and a mannequin on the way out. He didn’t have time to mutter anything but another quick, “I’m sorry,” before he was chasing once again. He’d come back and clean up the mess later if he could. He had to catch up and thankfully, he had a good idea where the man was headed and knew a shortcut that the man would have to drive around to get there.

Taking off down another side street, he began to run, seeing the fence up ahead. He’d climbed up over it a few times in a pinch since it hadn’t been easy before, but now, now he thought he might be able to scale it in time. He saw the cab drive past as he built up his speed, launching himself up, and sailing over the fence with ease. Steve didn’t have time to marvel about his new found speed and agility as he ran out in the middle of traffic, having to warn the cars he was running in front of that he was there. Both lanes of traffic stopped for him momentarily as he silently apologized and ran down the middle of the street. He could see the cab up ahead and glanced around to see if anything might give him the edge to catch up. There was traffic ahead, so the man would have to slow down. That meant if he sped up a little bit more….

The cab turned a corner. By now, the man must have realized he was being followed. He also proved Steve’s theory right about heading for the docks. Turning the corner himself, Steve found himself right in front of a moving car, so he leapt up, bouncing from car roof to car roof until he reached a truck that was right behind and next to the Taxi. With a final jump, he was on top of the roof of the cab, gripping onto the sides tightly as the car raced through the streets. Steve held on as the car made a sharp turn down an alley, gripping the sign on top as he was swung back and forth with the force of the swerving motions. The cab took another turn and a shot was fired, the bullet piercing the roof narrowly missing.

Two more shots fired and in an effort to avoid them, Steve swung down to the side narrowly missing another bullet shot out the open window. That’s when he saw the truck pulling out. The man in the taxi was focused on him, so there wasn’t any surprise when the two vehicles collided, sending the cab into a spin. The car tipped and Steve pushed off the door, rolling on the street as the car did the same.

Steve got back up as the man stumbled from the busted cab. Steve stopped when the gun was pointed at him, looking for something to protect himself. On the ground in front of him was the passenger’s door. With quick thinking, he grabbed it as the shots were fired, ricocheting off the metal.

Behind the door he could hear a woman shouting. “No! No! Not my son! Stop it! Don’t hurt him!”

When Steve looked out, it was to see the man duck around the corner, boy in hand. Steve abandoned the door, running around a parked car to the entranceway. He inched forward, turning away as another shot rang out, hitting the stone and metal.

“Get back!” It was an order, one Steve couldn’t obey.

“Let me go!” The boy cried out, struggling in the man’s arms. The mother was shouting her boy’s name, distraught by the events as he disappeared around the corner. Steve carefully went after them. His mouth was dry. He felt anxious, jittery, nervous…he knew he had to save the kid. It just wasn’t in him to let this go. Steve got behind a metal buoy just as the man turned to check behind him. Another shot rang out, hitting the rusted metal, but not Steve.

He reached the corridor peaking around the corner as the man held the gun to the boy’s head. No, he wouldn’t let the boy die. Stepping out, he held out his hands keeping them low and unintimidating.

“Wait, don’t! Don’t!”

The man turned the gun on him, fired and Steve flinched at the sound. It was a dull click. The clip was empty. The man grunted in frustration, dragging the boy over to the water’s edge.

“No, don’t!” The man didn’t listen and launched the boy over into the water before turning to run once more. Steve had to save the boy first, so he ran over to the edge, glancing down, and seeing the boy treading water, his red curls plastered to his face.

“Go get him! I can swim!” The boy called out. Steve smiled a bit, for the boy and took off as the boy swam for the nearest ladder.

Steve didn’t see the man get into the small submarine, but it had to be him. Everyone else was just dumbfounded. Steve turned towards the water, leaping off the pier and into the water. He was grateful he’d listened to Bucky and taken those swimming lessons as he moved through the water towards the sub. He gripped the pipe and caught the stunned look of the man as he punched through the glass. Water poured into the cockpit and the man had to eject. Steve helped pull up the lid, grabbing the man who floundered into the water trying to fight him off. Steve was stronger.

Once they reached the surface, Steve threw the man up onto the pier with a loud gasp and scrambled up the nearest ladder just in time to see the man hit the deck. He scrambled away from Steve, turning to swing a blade at him. Steve just dodged, kicking the man in the face and to the ground once more. The vial flew out of the man’s pocket shattering on the ground. In his anger, Steve grabbed the main by the edges of his coat, hauling him up to be face to face.

“Who the hell are you?” Steve demanded, shaking the man a bit.

“The first of many.” The man spoke with a German accent and was a bit breathless from the fight. “Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.”

“With the swipe of his tongue over teeth and a firm crunch, the man’s mouth filled up with white foam. He groaned and grunted, smiling as he spoke his last words.

“Hail Hydra!” The man slumped in his arms and Steve let him go, the fight instantly leaving him, the shock remaining.

Steve looked down at his hands. They were his hands, but not his hands. Too different. Too big. He tried to catch his breath as the enormity of what just happened hit him. What had just happened? Just what had he become? How was all of this possible?

He needed to go back. He needed answers although he was almost certain that the only one who would have had any were gone now. A crowd was beginning to gather. The first thing he had to do was to get the man back to the shop. Then maybe, just maybe, he could figure out what to do and where to go from here.

~~~~~

“So, that was it. Your first big moment of being a hero.” Christine almost purred out, sounding excited. “I’m sure it was exhilarating learning what you were capable of.”

“I guess. It was scary too. When you spend so long only knowing one thing, finding new aspects about yourself isn’t always a good thing.” Steve added. He knew he had left some of what he’d been thinking that day out of what he had told her. Still, he remembered it all. He remembered the rush and the crash and the confusion. It was unpleasant and it took him a while to find stability again.

“So, I guess things began to change for you after that. I found an old reissue of you holding the door to the cab as you were being shot at that day. How was it? Becoming the face of the action in the war, I mean?” She was prompting him.

“Well, I didn’t go to war right away. If you forgot, I was in the USO show for a while there.”

“Oooo, tell me about that first. That must have been quite an experience.”

Steve cringed. It was an experience all right. An awkward and painful one in the end. He let his mind drift though, trying to remember what it had felt like. It hadn’t all been bad, at first and then at the end, but not in the middle.

“All right, but first, you have to know what happened when I got back and how the name Captain America came about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a new chapter. Sorry it's taken so long. I've been in a bit of a writing rut lately and I've been exhausted dealing with work and stuff going on at home. I think I got some of my muse back because you guys got an update on this today, an update on Ghosts and I've got something new in the works. It's not going to be up for a few weeks. I'm not going to post that until I've got a few chapters ready, but I may post a preview tonight on Tumblr.
> 
> I'm gonna try to post a little bit more of this. I want to get it done before I get to The Avengers part of Ghost, so I'm gonna have to step this up a bit in my timeline. I'll try for a bi-weekly post, but I'm not going to make any promises.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos! They make my day and really motivate me to get out more. Also, feel free to come find me on my social media channels. I'm trying to become more active on them all and I will try to post previews and updates.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr/Instagram/Twitter:  
> Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel: http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> Writing Tumblr (I post previews of stuff here): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/  
> Instagram (I post previews and statuses. Follow #HydraVerse): SilverCiels  
> Twitter (Not as active on here, but feel free to follow): @SilverCiels
> 
> Check out my other stories and let me know what you think!
> 
> Interlude Party: (Updated Chapter 3 - 12/28/2014) - Working on a new chapter. Will be up soon!  
> Side Stories that don't fit into All That's Left Is The Ghost of You or Before We Go  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829
> 
> And of course the story that started all this off:
> 
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapter 41 - 05/24/2015...Updated weekly on Sunday)  
> Steve Rogers have lived through the last 60 years and has many regrets. Still fighting a war that should have ended a long time ago, Rogers is haunted by his past, but he must find the strength to make new friends and the confidence to lead a new team to end the war. (Phase One Avengers Movies if Steve had lived.)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846


	7. Star Spangled Man With A Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve returns to find out that the powers that be have different plans for him than he thought.

“The Fuhrer is not accustomed to being ignored, Herr Schmidt.” A German general reprimanded the leader of Hydra firmly. They had come to inspect the Hydra facility as ordered. The pressure was on to see results from the science division to win this war. “He funds your research because you promised him weapons.”

“You serve at his pleasure.” Another soldier added. “He gave you this facility as a reward for your injuries.”

“Reward? Call it what it is. Exile. I no longer reflect his image of Aryan perfection.” Schmidt wasn’t about to sugar coat anything. They would learn soon enough what would happen to those who mocked him.

“You think this is about appearances? Your Hydra division has failed to deliver so much as a rifle in over a year. And we had learned through local intelligence you had mounted a full-scale incursion into Norway. The Fuhrer feels…” The man paused briefly, unsure of how to proceed. Fortunately another officer picked up where he left off.

“How does he put it? The Red Skull has been indulged long enough!”

Schmidt stopped going still. They were going to pay for their insolence. To insult Hydra was to insult him, and to insult him personally warranted their deaths. Slowly, he turned to look into the eyes of the man who had just spoken. They the swept across to the other officers who had followed him into the base. They were all to pay for the mistake of one. No, they were all going to die for making the mistake of coming here. The German soldiers would learn the hierarchy soon enough. After all, Schmidt’s own men had fallen into line.

“Gentlemen, you have come to see the results of our work. Let me show you.” He nodded and hummed, not allowing the knowing smirk cross his face. Instead he pressed his lips into a tight line as he turned and led them towards the lab. He knew what weapon he wanted to use on them.

Dr. Zola and a few minor scientists were working on the controls for another weapon when they entered the room. Earlier that day, the doctor had completed one of the larger remote laser guns fueled by the energy of the Tesseract. It was a fitting weapon to show them.

“Hitler speaks of a 1000 year Reich, but he cannot feed his armies for a month. His troops spill their blood across every field in Europe, but still he is no closer to achieving his goals.”

Schmidt crossed the room, yanking the covering off the weapon and tossing it aside dramatically. There was no longer any point to censoring his words. No, today would be a landmark day for not only German history, not only world history, but in the history of the Hydra organization.

“And I suppose you still aim to win this war through magic?” The officer who had talked about the failures of Hydra taunted him with his words. Schmidt nodded to his men who shut and locked the door behind them. There would be no escape. Zola moved to stand behind Schmidt. He’d learned long ago that when the man was in the room, the safest place to be was out of his sight.

“Science.” Schmidt corrected the skeptic. “But I understand your confusion. Great power has always baffled primitive men. Hydra is assembling an arsenal to destroy my enemies in one stroke, wherever they are, regardless of how many forces they possess, all in a matter of hours.”

“Your enemies?” The same officer asked. He was ignored. It was better to show him.

“My weapons contain enough destructive power to decimate every hostile capital on Earth. Quite simply, gentlemen, I have harnessed the power of the gods.”

He was making a show of this. As he said the word ‘gentlemen,’ he pointed at each one of them, noting that one had wondered over to the battle map. Schmidt was waiting for him to notice the latest addition to the map, added just that morning.

“Thank you, Schmidt.” The man who had personally insulted him said. It was obvious they didn’t believe him. He didn’t expect them to.

“For what?”

“For making it clear how obviously mad you are.”

“Berlin is on this map!” The officer by the map shouted out, his hand hovering over the pin the German capital. Schmidt thought about saying something snappy, but decided to refrain. He wouldn’t waste his words any longer on these men.

“So it is.” Schmidt flipped a switch, the gun turned on the mechanism to aim for the men.

“You will be punished for your insolence! You will be brought before the Fuhrer himself!” This time it was the man who had just come from the map. It was ironic. Schmidt had been thinking the same thing. The only difference was that they were already standing in front of him and they were all dead men.

The gun charged and discharged a ray of blue energy, instantly incinerating the man shouting at him. The two other officers stepped back, hunkering down even as the gun turned on them. The one who had personally insulted him managed to dodge two quick discharges. Schmidt clenched his teeth in frustration before firing again, hitting the man.

The final man had made it to the door. It took mere moments for him to realize he was locked in as he spun around to face Schmidt and his weapons. He shouted Schmidt’s name just before the blast hit him, leaving blackened scorch marks on the door.

Schmidt stepped away from the controls. He adjusted his uniform as he surveyed the room to take stock of what he had just accomplished. He was feeling rather smug at his own actions. It was time to break away from the weak to rise up.

“My apologies, Doctor, but we both knew Hydra could grow no further in Hitler’s shadow. Hail Hydra.”

The scientists who had stepped aside brought both their arms up, fists clenched in salute as they shouted. “Hail Hydra!”

Scmidt turned slowly to see them drop their arms to their sides. He was pleased by the commitment of his people. Now he just needed to know that his top scientist was on board. His eyes turned to the short man, his gaze questioning. Zola hesitated for a moment, but then his eyes seemed to come to a realization. The man straightened up, held his head high as he joined in the mantra. “Hail Hydra!”

Schmidt was pleased and he turned to leave. He was no fool, he knew the doctor was afraid, but it was that fear he was counting on. It would keep the doctor in line and loyal. If not, well, the doctor knew what his fate would be.

~~~~~

It took several hours to for Steve to wander back to the antique shop and a day before they could all regroup. The SSR was coordinating with the local police to get results on the autopsy of the dead Hydra agent. Steve was numb, answering questions the best he could. Everyone was trying to figure out what had happened only because it had happened so fast. Of course with all the questions being thrown out there, the biggest was what they were going to do with Erskine dead. The last bit of the man’s research sat inside the body of Steve Rogers, coursing through his veins.

Immediately there was a call to pull some of the man’s blood for a study. If there was any way to replicate the serum, Rogers’ blood was key. Peggy watched as he went through the movements automatically. He’d been quiet since his return. It looked like he was slowly coming out of whatever fog he was in as the nurse finished up taking his blood.

“Think you got enough?” He spoke for the first time since coming into the room. Whether he was talking to Peggy or the nurse, they weren’t sure, but it was Peggy who decided to answer.

“Any hope of reproducing the program is locked in your genetic code. But without Dr. Erskine, it would take years.” She spoke low and calm, trying to soothe him. He looked so torn.

“He deserved more than this.” Steve pointed out, looking out the window to the circus below. The military and political leaders, plus the scientists were downstairs debating and questioning still. None of this was sitting right with him. Why weren’t more precautions taken? Just how many of these Hydra agents were in their ranks?

“If it could work only once…” Peggy started off, causing Steve to look at her. She looked back at him as she continued. “…he’d be proud it was you.”

She managed to smile at him. He wished he could smile back at her, but today, there was nothing to smile about. Here he was, the first and now only success, but they had lost so much more today. It was the shouting of Senator Brandt that caused him to turn and look out the door.

“Colonel Phillips, my committee is demanding answers.” Brandt wanted answers.

“Great. Why don’t we start with how a German spy got a ride to my secret installation in your car?” Phillips snapped and rightfully so. It was a good point being made, but knowing politics, it wouldn’t be brought up before the committee. They walked around to where Stark was working on the recovered submarine. Having government resources had expedited its retrieval from the water and the SSR was now trying to figure it all out. “What have we got here?”

Stark glanced up at them. “Speaking modestly, I’m the best mechanical engineer in this country. But I don’t know what’s inside this thing or how it works. We’re not even close to this technology.”

“And who is?” Brandt demanded.

“Hydra.” Phillips responded simply. When the Senator turned to look at him with a questioning gaze, he decided to taunt the man further. “I’m sure you’ve been reading our briefings.”

“I’m on a number of committees, Colonel.” Brandt deflected.

Steve and Peggy were walking into the room at this point. Instead of showboating or adding to the pissing match between the two men, Peggy decided to just explain things to the Senator.

“Hydra is the Nazi deep-science division. It’s led by Johann Schmidt. But he has much bigger ambitions.’

“Hydra is practically a cult.” Phillips added. “They worship Schmidt. They think he’s invincible.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Brandt asked, obviously concerned now.

Phillips mouth twitched. Wasn’t that the big question? “I spoke to the President this morning. As of today, the SSR is being retasked.”

“Colonel?” Peggy asked. This was the first she’d heard this news.

“We are taking the fight to Hydra. Pack your bags, Agent Carter. You, too, Stark. We’re flying to London tonight.” Phillips started to move away from them, but a call made him pause.

“Sir? If you’re going after Schmidt, I want in.” Steve said, his face looking eager. He had a small taste today of what he could do and although it scared him a bit, this was what he had signed up for. Better that his new skills be used to fight Hydra than anything else.

“You’re an experiment. You’re going to Alamogordo.” There was no wavering in Phillips’ tone.

Steve looked over at Peggy who smiled encouragingly. He had to try again.

“The serum worked.” He pointed out, but Phillips seemed unfazed by it.

“I asked for an army and all I got was you. You are not enough.”

Phillips spun around on his heels and walked out of the room and out of sight. Steve was disappointed again. What was the point in all of this if no one would give him a shot, any shot? There was a new knot in his throat as this whole week went from bad to worse. It wasn’t fair, but his life rarely was, so he just learned to deal with it.

The sound of approaching footsteps and the sight of wool in his peripheral caught his attention. The Senator was playing with the hat in his hand while he waited for Phillips to get out of hearing range. Once he felt okay, he stepped directly in front of Steve and gave his proposition.

“With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point. I’ve seen you in action, Steve. More importantly, the country’s seen it. Paper.”

The Senator snapped his fingers and got a newspaper from his aide before handing it over. Sure enough, Steve could see his own picture on the front cover, holding the door of the taxi in his hand like a shield, his face visible through the door window. The headline read ‘Nazis in New York, Mystery man saves child.”

“The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands. You don’t take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?”

Brandt put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away as he asked his question. The last thing he needed was for Rogers to overthink his proposal or get negative feedback from the agents of the SSR. It didn’t take long for the man to answer, though the Senator was certain what Rogers had in mind was much different from what he had in mind.

“Sir, that’s all I want.”

Steve just wanted to serve, to make a difference no matter how big or small. The Senator grinned holding out his hand to shake the man’s in front of him.

“Then, congratulations. You just got promoted.”

~~~~~

This was not what he signed up for.

Yes, he got a promotion up to a Captain and it was a legitimate one, but when he had agreed to this, he didn’t think he’d be parading around in a costume with a sock on his head. The costume was a garish red, white, and blue. The ‘helmet’ was flimsy fabric that covered his face with the exception of his mouth and eyes. Steve thought that if it had been black, he would look like a criminal. The boots were too big and ridiculously red, so were the gloves. How was anyone supposed to take him serious dressed up like a clown?

“I don’t know if I can do this.” He said out loud as he stood backstage at his first show. He had a shield with the words he was supposed to say on it. Brandt’s aide, who had been his shadow for two weeks now, had told him the words would come naturally in time. He was just to go out there and do his best.

The music had already cued up by this point and although they had practiced a few times, Steve had suddenly forgot some of what he was supposed to do. Never before had he been this nervous, but then again, he was getting ready to go out and put on a performance in front of an audience. He’d never had to do it before.

“Nothing to it.” The aide walked around and patted him on the back. “You sell a few bonds. Bonds buy bullets. Bullets kill Nazis. Bing, bang, boom. You’re an American hero.”

“It’s just not how I pictured getting there.” Steve admitted, trying to come to terms with the fact that he had to do this now. It was too late for him to back out.

“The Senator has got a lot of pull up on the Hill. You play ball with us, you’ll be leading your own platoon in no time.”

Steve put on the fabric helmet, adjusting it to fit. He wasn’t too fond of the big ‘A’ on his forehead or the wings on the side, but once again, it was too late now. Steve tried to believe in the aide’s words, but he was starting to learn the political game. He was starting to not like it and he was starting to figure out when people were lying to him. The aide’s words sounded phony to him, so he wouldn’t believe them until he got results.

“Take the shield.” The man said as he stepped out of sight. Steve did as he was told as the music got louder. Once he was ready, he got a second to breathe before he was shoved from behind with a single word whispered in a rush. “Go!”

He stumbled out through the curtain. He was standing between two lines of women posed with their hands in the air. As soon as he was half way up the line the women began to move and sing, marching as they went. Steve had to step forward to get out of their way, and that put him front and center of the stage.

_Who’s strong and brave, here to save the American way?_

Steve went on instinct after that. He glanced down at the shield and began to read.

“Not all of us can storm a beach or drive a tank. But there’s still a way all of us can fight.

_Who vows to fight like a man for what’s right, night and day?_

“Series E Defense Bonds. Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy’s gun.”

_Who will campaign door-to-door for America? Carry the flag shore to shore for America? From Hoboken to Spokane, the star-spangled man with a plan._

_We can’t ignore there’s a threat and a war we must win. Who’ll hang a noose from the goose-stepping goons from Berlin? Who will redeem, heed the call for America? Who’ll rise or fall, give his all for America? Who’s here to prove that we can? The star-spangled man with a plan._

“We all know this is about trying to win the war. We can’t do that without bullets and bandages, tanks and tents. That’s where you come in. Every bond you buy will help protect someone you love.”

From the audience a few of the kids were shouting out to him.

“Turn around! He’s right behind you!” They shouted. He knew what was behind him, they had rehearsed this too, so he continued to speak.

“Keep our boys armed and ready, and the Germans will think twice about trying to get the drop on us.”

He knew that a man dressed up as Hitler was behind him with a prop gun. It would spook the kids, but as the man was about to charge at him, he turned, making a punching motion, but not connecting to the man’s face as he dropped to the floor. The action received cheers and applause from the audience. The girls on stage did their part too. They clapped and fawned over his actions until they had to start singing again.

_Stalwart and steady and true, forceful and ready to defend the red, white, and blue. Who’ll give the Axis the sack and is smart as a fox? (Far as an eagle will soar…) Who’s making Adolf afraid to step out of his box? (He knows what we’re fighting for…) Who waked the giant that napped in America? We know it’s no one but Captain America. Who’ll finish what they began? Who’ll kick the Krauts to Japan?_

_The Star-Spangled Man….With…A…Plan!_

There was more than just the performances. He did photo ops, where he held crying babies trying his best to just smile and get through it all. He posed for war posters and shot black and white short movies. All of them made him feel embarrassed as he was forced into each new event. Several months went by and slowly he had gotten used to the routine. The USO shows were a success across the nation as bond sales jumped and kids of all ages cheered for him.

As he got more used to it, his confidence soared. Soon he was comfortable being the Star Spangled Man and he stepped on stage reading his now memorized lines with practiced ease. From Buffalo to Milwaukee, Philadelphia to Chicago, he put on the best show he could. Senator Brandt was pleased by the efforts and had even come to a few of the shows to see the reactions. They were all positive from what Steve had heard. The man finally came around to a photo op to get his picture taken with the new war icon and to congratulate him on a job well done.

While he toured, Steve found out about a new form of propaganda they were using him in. The comics came out and they began to fly off the newsstands. Every little boy in America wanted to follow the adventures of Captain America. Steve had been given a few copies to hold on to. He had kept them, if only to show Bucky if he ever got a chance to see the man again. Who knew, if he survived this war, he may start a family and pass them on to his children. At least the goal was becoming more and more realistic.

He had an opportunity to attend one of his own films in uniform. Despite his confidence at doing the action, he had to grin at the cheesy nature of it all. Still, the crowd was eating it up. Several young fans began to recognize him out of costume and came up to him asking for his autograph. He was a little touched by that. Maybe he was making a difference even if it wasn’t the way he thought he would.

By the time he reached New York City, the show had grown so big that it was impressive. There were fireworks and to show off his new strength, he was asked to do a stunt where he held a motorcycle above his head with three of the female performers on it. He did it, if only to appease Brandt.

The shows had become so popular that he heard through gossip that they may be heading overseas to do a few shows for the troops. While he hadn’t received official word, he grew a little bit more excited. This might be his chance, his chance to finally join the real battle. There were still a few more shows to do on the western coast, but when Brandt’s aide came to give him the news, his excitement took over. Finally, he would be where the action was.

~~~~~

Bucky swore as some idiot lit up a flare into the sky. It was one of the ways they called for reinforcements, but it also gave away their positions to the enemies. He ran for the nearest trench, needing to find cover quickly. Narrowly, he missed stepping on a buried bomb as he jumped, sliding down into the trench. Dugan jumped down next to him and they had to face away to avoid the spray of dirt for an explosion.

“There’s gotta be five more companies out there.” Dugan yelled.

“Tell the B Company that we need cover,” Bucky shouted towards Gabe.

“That might be tough.” The man shouted back, showing their damaged field radio.

“Bucky, behind you.”

Bucky turned, taking brief aim and started firing. Dugan fired next to them, but they had to duck when another explosion went off, knocking the bowler hat off Dugan’s head. The enemy was getting too close. “Here they come!”

The Sergeant had to move, getting into better position to fire. Behind him he heard Dugan mutter. “I hate these guys.”

He looked through the scope on his rifle, firing at one of the soldiers in the dark. The soldier never knew what was coming for him as he fell down dead. As he reloaded, Dugan and Gabe fired next to him, covering their commanding officer. Gazing through the scope to fire again, he noticed something strange. Blue rays of light hit the German soldiers and they disintegrated in front of him.

Bucky pulled away, wondering for a moment if this was all a strange dream, but he could still see those rays of light killing both American and German troops. What the hell was going on here? Who would fire on both sides?

There were screams, and the faint sound of gunfire in the background. Bucky glanced around looking for what was attacking, but he couldn’t see anything and he couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary for a combat situation. All he knew was nothing was firing at them, but there were no enemies for them to fire at either.

“What the hell was that?” One of the soldiers in his company asked, confirming that Bucky wasn’t the only one seeing this.

He moved to stand, pulling up out of the trench. Gabe and Dugan had his back as he saw more shots fired in the distance. It looked like more German troops were being killed than the American. Maybe these people were on their side, and they had accidentally shot those men. At least, that’s what he wanted to believe. This war was taking such a toll on him mentally that sometimes he wondered if he could do this.

That’s when they heard it, rumbling as it approached. It was a large tank heading their way. It was still too dark to make out anything and the tank has bright lights on it giving it a shadowed look.

“That looks new.” Dugan commented as the tank rolled over the hill.

As soon as it hit the top, the main gun started to move. It was starting to turn towards them. Bucky shouted, the trio jumping back into the trench. The shot missed them, but it hit the ground kicking up the dirt. Bucky’s groaned from hitting the ground hard. Dugan helped him get back up on his feet. They needed to move or they would all be killed. Bucky couldn’t die here. Steve was back home waiting for him.

They made their way to the far side of the trench, still hearing the tank heading towards him. He was almost there and that’s when he heard the sound of guns cocking. Looking up, he saw men dressed in all black with gas masks on their faces. Guns were pointed down into the trench. The men surrounded the trench, blocking their way out. How had they not notices they were being surrounded?

Bucky felt the rifle slip through his fingers. As much as he want to try and fight his way out, he had a unit to command. The only way they were going to have even a small chance to make it out of this alive, they were going to have to surrender and hope that they weren’t shot anyway. Glancing over at the men who had his back, he nodded and they dropped their weapons too.

The sting of defeat hurt. They weren’t completely prepared for this, no one was completely prepared for this. Steve wouldn’t do this. He would have kept on fighting no matter what. Bucky closed his eyes. He didn’t want to die. He wanted to survive, to go back home after this damn war. He had to accept this as part of it.

As the shackles were placed on his wrists, probably to transfer him to some prison somewhere, his last thoughts were for Steve. He wondered what he was doing, where he was right now. At this point, he was sure that he wasn’t going to make it out of this alive in the end. He was so glad that Steve was far, far away from this.

They had to walk several days to reach what looked like a factory in Austria. For the first few weeks, the men were forced into a laborious routine. They would be woken up at dawn, eating a small breakfast of stale bread, before taken into the factory. The men were put to work, making various parts that they couldn’t make sense of. After several hours of non-stop work, they would be escorted back to their cells, where they may or may not get a second meal. Then they would try to get what sleep they could before repeating the routine the next day.

Slowly, the men began to crack under the pressure and lack of both food and sleep. A few fights would break out and the men involved in the fighting would be taken to another part of the factory, but wouldn’t come back. So far, none of Bucky’s men had been in any of the altercations, but he knew he had some hotheads in his company. It was only a matter of time before one would snap.

It turned out to be one of his lowest rank officers. He decided to pick a fight with one of their guards. Bucky stepped in, trying to get the man to stop, but his own man turned against him, finally snapping. Bucky took the punch to the face and the fighter from Brooklyn kicked in. He charged, lunging at the man while the others cheered at all the excitement.

The guards were quick and efficient, grabbing the two men before there was any serious damage done. Bucky wasn’t all that remorseful, feeling alive for the first time in months. He and the other soldier didn’t fight as they were escorted to separate rooms. Bucky was shoved onto a table, a gun held against his head as he was forced onto the table and strapped down to it. He wasn’t going to give in and he was going to survive anything they threw at him.

A short balding man with glasses stepped into the room wearing a lab coat. Bucky wasn’t impressed by the man and he wasn’t about to give him what he asked. He called forth his training, remembering what he was supposed to say if he was ever taken prisoner. For now he would stay silent waiting for the man to speak.

“Such a disobedient worker.” The doctor spoke with a thick European accent. “That is all right. We are going to put that spirit of yours to good use. Before we begin, would you be willing to tell me your name for the record?”

Bucky would oblige on this. After all, it was a part of the three things they were to say to the enemy…rank, serial number, and name. “Sergeant. Three-two-five-five-seven. Barnes, James.”

The man grinned, moving over to a cart with a cloth on top. He uncovered it to reveal a single syringe. “Thank you, Sergeant Barnes. I’d like to involve you in a little experiment. Thus far, all of the previous subjects were not strong enough to be able to withstand this. I’m hoping that you’ll be a more promising candidate.”

Bucky pulled against his restraints. He didn’t like the sound of that. The doctor picked up the syringe, pushing the plunger so that a small bit squirted out. “You should feel honored. After all, only the strong and rebellious are chosen for this. I am looking forward to seeing your results, after all, you seem very promising. I’m looking forward to see how you change.”

A piece of rubber tubing was tied around his arm. Bucky tugged again at the restraints as the doctor approached, but it wasn’t getting him anywhere. The doctor approached, gripping his arm in a firm grip that the doctor didn’t appear to be capable of. The syringe pierced his skin and the dark mixture was pushed into his bloodstream.

It burned going in and it spread up his arm slowly. He knew he grimaced as he felt the burn crawling under his skin. It seemed to stop for a moment and then it flared up. He fought back the scream that wanted to escape as his whole body felt like it was burning from the inside out. His vision became spotted and it hurt to breathe.

He didn’t know how long it went on for, but he refused to cry out. He just tried to focus on his breathing and the sound of his pounding heart. When it finally began to wane and his vision cleared, he was faced with the stupid grin of the bald scientist. He took a few deep breathes and licked his dry lips.

“Congratulations.” The doctor said excitedly. “You are the first to survive phase one of this experiment. We will begin with phase two immediately.”

His eyes widened at the sight of a second syringe. He wasn’t sure he was strong enough to go through that again. Then he remembered blond hair and blue eyes. He had to survive to get back to Steve. He focused on that as the substance in the second syringe was injected. The burning was worse this go round, but he focused on that face, the face of the one person he cared about, the face of the man he loved.

He screamed this time, unable to help it. All he knew from that point onward was pain. He didn’t know how long it went on and there weren’t too many breaks between injections. From time to time, the man would ask him if he knew who he was. He would mumble the mantra of his rank, serial number, and name. When the pain would blind him, he focused on that face. Even while everything else fell away, that face remained clear as if he saw Steve yesterday.

His love was the one thing to save him, but even he knew he had a limit, and he had to wonder how long it would take for it not to be enough. How long would it take for him to completely fall apart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So awesome beta was able to get this back to me this morning, so I'm posting it right now. I had a lot of fun working on this chapter and I had to laugh at the cheesy lyrics of the USO song. I'm hoping to pick up the pace on working on this a little bit more, so be on the lookout for updates. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Fell free to leave comments and kudos! I enjoy reading them and knowing what you think. Also feel free to follow me on my social media channels below.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr/Instagram/Twitter:  
> Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel: http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> Writing Tumblr (I post previews of stuff here): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/  
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> 
> Check out my other stories and let me know what you think!
> 
> Interlude Party: (Updated Chapter 3 - 12/28/2014) - Working on a new chapter. Will be up soon!  
> Side Stories that don't fit into All That's Left Is The Ghost of You or Before We Go  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829
> 
> And of course the story that started all this off:
> 
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapter 41 - 07/06/2015...Updated weekly on Sunday)  
> Steve Rogers have lived through the last 60 years and has many regrets. Still fighting a war that should have ended a long time ago, Rogers is haunted by his past, but he must find the strength to make new friends and the confidence to lead a new team to end the war. (Phase One Avengers Movies if Steve had lived.)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846


	8. Meant For More Than This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve discovers he's not as welcome in Europe as he was in the US. Finding out that his best friend is missing, he decides to take a chance...and take the shot that no one is willing to give him.

He should have seen it coming, but then again, nothing had really prepared him for his arrival in war torn Europe. His first stop on his European tour was a large encampment in Italy, just a few miles away from the battlefront. There had been an argument of them doing a show so close, but ultimately Steve had said that if these men were willing to put their lives on the line, he would too. The argument had ended after that, and a little help of the girls telling their makeshift manager that they were going to go out there with their brave Captain. It was their way of spitting in the face of Nazi Germany if they were to put on a USO show as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

There weren’t as many men there as he would have thought, but as the stage was put together and the men had gathered to see, those same nerves he always felt began to kick in. As with every performance, he had butterflies fluttering in his stomach and his hands shook a little bit about going out on the stage, but usually the moment he stepped out, he was completely confident and usually the cheers started as soon as they saw him.

His shows wouldn’t be as grand as they were back home. The stage was makeshift and the back drop was nothing more than curtains painted on flimsy material, but they would make due. He wasn’t here to sell bonds, but instead his goal was to show his support to the troops, boost their morale.

That didn’t seem like that was ever going to happen. As he stepped out onto the stage and up to the microphone, he was met with unimpressed looks and deafening silence. That awkwardness he had felt the first time he had put on a performance had returned, but he was still going to do whatever it took to encourage these men in the fight.

“How many of you are ready to help me sock old Adolf on the jaw?” He asked out to the crowd of men sitting on the dirt in front of him. They didn’t seem all that impressed and Steve fumbled a bit. “Okay, uh…I need a volunteer.”

“I already volunteered! How do you think I got here?” A heckler called out from the crowd, though it was impossible to tell where the voice had come from. The men laughed at the call as another heckler cried out. “Bring back the girls!”

The men cheered, waving their fists in the air at the suggestion. Steve took a step back, uncertain if he could do this anymore. Glancing back at the show manager, he fumbled for words, but the man just waved for him to continue. He was on his own up here.

“I think they only know the one song, but…uh…I’ll see what I can do.” He flustered over the words trying his best to appease the men.

“You do that, sweetheart.” Another call came from the crowd.

“Nice boots, Tinker Bell!”

Steve actually saw the man who shouted the last insult. Clearly these men weren’t impressed at all by the show. He was in deep trouble, but the man in him that disliked bullies had to try and put a stop to all the shouting.

“Come on, guys, we’re all on the same team here.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as another man stood up, yanking down his pants to moon the man on stage. “Hey, Captain! Sign this!”

The men cheered and that was when the food started to fly. Steve brought up the shield on his arm, blocking the projectiles. He’d had enough of this kind of treatment. Stomping backstage, he didn’t say anything as the girls rushed past him. The men were shouting again for the girls to come back so they would oblige them.

As he passed by Brandt’s aide, the man patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, pal. They’ll warm up to you. Don’t worry.”

It was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the stage monkey who just got booted off stage. It was horrible and embarrassing and Steve was beginning to regret the eagerness he had felt at wanting to come over here to do this.

It wasn’t fair. They didn’t even give him a chance to put on a show for them. Taking a deep breath, he headed for the dressing area that had been set up for them, yanking off the mask and his gloves. He grabbed his jacket, sliding it over the red, white, and blue uniform before heading for his bunk.

After a few minutes, he was starting to feel a little bit stir crazy. He needed to do something to distract him from how he was feeling. There had to be something he could do to cheer him up. He searched through his bag, pulling out a small notebook and his brand new set of drawing pencils. They had been a gift from Senator Brandt for all the good work he had done. He’d feel better after he’d done some sketching.

After a couple of hours, he sat huddled under one of the tent flaps backstage. Shortly after he had walked off, the skies had opened up, raining water down on them in force. The girls and the soldiers ran off to find cover and the camp was quiet again. Normally Steve liked the rain, but his mood hadn’t improved as he sketched pictures in his notebook. He’d started out drawing out a train, trekking towards a mountain, the outline of Italy in the background. On the opposite page, he doodled a few clowns before sketching out a monkey, riding a unicycle. In one hand, it held an umbrella over its head, fitting for such a dreary day. In the other was an exact replica of the shield he used in his performances. He even drew a sweater on the monkey with stripes and a big old star on its chest.

That’s how Steve felt about all of this. He was nothing more than a foolish, performing monkey. Now that he’d gotten a look at these men on the battlefield, he knew he’d only gotten a small glimmer of what this war was doing to the soldiers. In the end, he had come to terms with why they had chased him away and why his words had been met with such hostility. His experiences didn’t even come close to what they had experienced, so in truth, they weren’t all on the same team. Steve had no right to claim it when he was nothing more than a show pony in tights.

“Hello, Steve.” A familiar, accented voice called out from behind him. He glanced back, head perking up when he realized it was Agent Carter standing behind him, jacket draped across her arm.

“Hi.” He replied a bit timidly, his fingers shaking nervously with the pencil in his hand.

“Hi.” She moved towards him seeing as she was welcome, coming to sit down behind him on the stage.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked. He hadn’t ever expected to see her again.

“Officially, I’m not here at all.” She paused. “That was quite a performance.”

Steve was a little stunned. Not only was she here, but she had seen all that. He took a deep breath and put on a brave face. He didn’t want to admit how he was really feeling about what had happened today.

“Yeah…uh…I had to improvise a little bit. The crowds I’m used to are usually more…uh…twelve.”

“I understand you’re ‘America’s New Hope.’” From her tone, Steve could say she wasn’t buying his act. He couldn’t look at her right now, feeling the embarrassment creep back in.

“Bond sales take a 10% bump in every state I visit.”

“Is that Senator Brandt I hear?” She sounded very condescending and Steve couldn’t blame her. He was quoting the Senator. Then again, at least the Senator had given him a shot and a promotion. Phillips hadn’t even thought about it.

“At least he’s got me doing this. Phillips would have had me stuck in a lab.”

“And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey?”

She glanced down at his sketches as she spoke. Steve knew she was right, but what could he do? He didn’t have the power to change his position. At least not as things currently were. He just need a break…a chance…a shot…anything at all. He’d take it in a heartbeat and be grateful for it.

“You were meant for more than this, you know.” Agent Carter continued, giving truth to Steve’s thoughts, though it did nothing to cheer him up. It was all a dream for him. He wanted to say something so badly, but the words wouldn’t come. She watched him flounder for a moment, prompting him along. “What?”

“You know, for the longest time, I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines, serving my country. I finally got everything I wanted and I’m wearing tights.”

He let the contempt fill his voice. It was a bit of a lie, as he never thought he would be put to use this way, but he had been so determined to take anything thrown his way that he’d lost his way a bit. He’d lost his dream and he wasn’t so certain he would ever get it back.

The sound of a medical van’s horn distracted them for a moment. Both Steve and Peggy turned to watch as MPs rushed to pull an injured soldier out of the back and carry him inside the medical tent. They couldn’t see much, but the sight of the man prone on a stretcher was enough.

“They look like they’ve been through hell.” Steve commented as the men disappeared behind a tent flap.

“These men more than most.” She paused when she saw the look Rogers was giving her. “Schmidt sent out a force to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him, and less than 50 returned. Your audience contained what was left of the 107th. The rest were killed or captured.”

Steve’s eyes shot up at the infantry number. “The 107th?”

She nodded and he got to his feet. One name flashed through his mind as he pictured the cocky image of his best friend that night before he shipped out. Bucky had to be here. He wouldn’t go down easily. Then again, Agent Carter had said that only 50 men had returned. He had to know, had to find out what had happened and if there was a chance that his friend might be alive.

“What?” Peggy asked him, but there was no time to explain.

“I need to see Colonel Phillips. Where is he?”

“He’s in a tent over there. Steve, where are you going?”

“Come on.” He called as he ran through the heavy rain, not minding that he was getting soaked through.

When he reached the tent, he caught sight of the man in the back of the tent. He had a purpose for being here and he wasn’t going to leave without getting an answer.

“Colonel Phillips.” He called out the man’s name in greeting, causing the Colonel to look up at him.

“Well, if it isn’t the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan. What is your plan today?”

The Colonel was mocking him. He wanted to say something smart back, but for once he held his tongue and asked the question burning through his mind.

“I need the casualty list from Azzano.”

“You don’t get to give me orders, son.”

“I just need one name, Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th.”

Phillips turned his attention from Rogers to look at Carter. He held up his pen pointing it at her while he ignored the man and his request. “You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won’t enjoy.”

“Please tell me if he’s alive, sir. B-A-R….”

“I can spell.” Phillips cut him off, glaring up at him. From Rogers’ expression, he wasn’t going to leave without an answer. It wasn’t as if Phillips owed him one, but he did feel a bit sorry for the man in front of him. After all, he was being made a puppet by Brandt. Standing up, he stepped away from his desk turning around as he admitted what he knew. “I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I’m sorry.”

Phillips had turned back around to give Rogers his condolences. He watched as the man swallowed hard, his face falling a bit at the news. Agent Carter was also watching Rogers, her face as stricken as if she knew Barnes personally. She felt sorry for the man in front of her, and wished she could do something to help him in his grief. Rogers turned away, glancing at the map posted on a board to the side.

“What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?”

“Yes, it’s called ‘winning the war.’”

“But if you know where they are, why not at least…”

“They’re 30 miles behind the lines through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We’d lose more men than we’d save.” Phillips pointed out the spot on the map. It was deep behind enemy lines. “But I don’t expect you to understand that because you’re a chorus girl.”

Steve locked his jaw. He was done with this man underestimating him and putting him down. “I think I understand just fine.”

“Well, then understand it somewhere else.” Phillips started to walk away. “If I read the posters correctly, you got someplace to be in 30 minutes.”

Oh, yes he did. He was supposed to be giving another show in a camp not too far from here. He was surprised it wasn’t canceled with all this rain. Taking a look at the map, memorizing what he could, he made a decision right then and there.

He wasn’t going to give up on these men. Even if it was too late for Bucky, he was still going to get these men out. They’d fought too hard to be given up by their own. If Phillips was unable or unwilling to do anything about it, then it was up to him. “Yes, sir. I do.”

Peggy watched as Steve walked away, determination reflected in his steps. She glanced up at the map and that was when it dawned on her. Rogers was getting ready to do something reckless and stupid. Making her own decision, one to help him, she took a few steadying breaths, contemplating her options.

“If you have something to say, right now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself.”

She glanced back at Phillips before deciding following his orders was the best course of action for right now. Instead, she acted like she was heading back to her tent before veering off to go look for Steve. After asking a few soldiers, she found him tossing stuff into a small bag inside of the show’s dressing room area.

“What do you plan to do, walk to Austria?” She asked as soon as she had him in her sights.

“If that’s what it takes.” He responded as he finished his packing and looked around for anything else he might need.

“You heard the Colonel. Your friend is most likely dead.”

“You don’t know that.” He wasn’t about to give up on Bucky. He either needed to see proof or he would take the word of the men who had been captured. Even then, he wasn’t sure he was willing to believe it.

“Even so, he’s devising a strategy. If he detects…”

“By the time he’s done that, it could be too late.” Steve wasn’t going to wait. Already, he was shrugging on a more practical jacket over his costume. He didn’t have time to go get something a little bit more practical, but he could at least hide the red and white stripes…and the star.

He grabbed one of the helmets the girls had been wearing on stage. They were a bit too big for the girls, but it was perfect for him. He would need better protection than a sock on his head. Gathering up his things, he made a move to go outside. The rain had stopped and there was a military jeep parked right there. Perfect.

“Steve,” Agent Carter called after him, following him out in time to see him throw the objects in the back of the jeep.

There wasn’t anything at this point that would stop him. He needed to do this, needed to know if his friend was dead or just captured, needed to save those men. It was like a compulsion. This was his shot, and if anyone wasn’t going to give him one, he was going to take it, consequences be damned.

He turned to face Peggy as she walked up behind the jeep. “You told me you thought I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?”

He watched her carefully. Her uniform was drenched, he usually well placed hair was dripping and as soggy as her uniform. It did nothing to dampen the determination in her eyes or the set of her jaw. “Every word.”

“Then you got to let me go.”

He climbed into the jeep, took hold of the steering wheel, and went to turn the key in the ignition. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Peggy come around to stand on the driver side of the vehicle. Her hands gripped the side and the windshield, effectively stopping him from moving as the engine roared to life.

“I can do more than that.”

~~~~~

The ‘more’ she had been talking about was a plane ride with one Howard Stark. Steve hadn’t been too sure about Stark flying at all, but Peggy had just pushed him in, shutting the door behind him. They sat in silence as Stark got them into the air.

Steve wasn’t too fond of planes. There was something about being this high in the air that unsettled him. At least, unlike the trip over here on a large military plane, he couldn’t see the ground below very well. The sun had set and it was dark. If he looked hard enough he could see the tops of the trees, but he was trying not to. At least Peggy was giving him a distraction by briefing him on his secret mission.

“The Hydra camp is in Krausberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It’s a factory of some kind.” Peggy pointed it out on the map.

“We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep.” Stark called from the cockpit.

“Just get me as close as you can.” Steve called back, as he fiddled with his equipment. He knew what he was signing up for by doing this. He just hoped these two knew the same. “You two are gonna be in a lot of trouble when you land.”

“And you won’t?”

“Where I’m going, if anybody yells at me, I can just shoot them.”

“They will undoubtedly shoot back.” Peggy shot back at him. From her tone, he could tell she thought he wasn’t taking this seriously enough. He wasn’t about to back out of this now and he knew he’d be in danger.

“Well, let’s hope it’s good for something.” He responded, rapping his knuckles on the shield he used in the stage shows. It was an actual shield, though not very practical.

“Agent Carter?” Stark cut in. “If we’re not in too much of a hurry, I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for a late-night fondue.”

Peggy glanced from Stark to Steve, noticing that the younger man was staring at her a bit. The air felt a bit awkward at the question, though Peggy decided to ignore it for now. She thought for a moment about what to say to end the slight tension in the air.

“Stark is the best civilian pilot I’ve ever seen. He’s mad enough to brave this airspace. We’re lucky to have him.”

Steve nodded, his gaze a bit curious as he looked between the two occupants of the plane. “So, are you two…Do you…fondue?”

He felt like an idiot. Agent Carter looked at him like he was an idiot. She looked away, not bothering to answer his question. It wasn’t the time or the place for that, and she knew what he was insinuating. After all, it was rude.

She held out a small box towards him instead. “This is your transponder. Activate it when you’re ready and the signal will lead us straight to you.”

Steve turned the thing over in his hand, before glancing up at Stark. After the flying car incident at the expo, he questioned if Stark was as great as everyone said he was. The fact that the words Stark Industries were on the side of this thing didn’t give him any confidence. “Are you sure this thing works?”

“It’s been tested more than you, pal.” Stark shouted back, sounding a bit miffed at what Rogers was insinuating.

Steve was about to say something smart back to the billionaire when the entire cabin shook. The sound of explosions reached their ears and both Peggy and Steve had to hold on to their seat as the cabin rocked again. Outside, they could see the lines of light bursting around them. They were going to get shot down. Steve wasn’t about to let that happen, so he jumped up, heading for the door.

“Get back here!” Peggy cried out over the noise. “We’re taking you all the way in!”

Steve yanked open the door. Sitting down on the edge of the plane with his feet hanging out. Nerves settled in as he thought about this being the first time jumping out of a plane. Then again, if he was ever going to impress the woman in front of him, he was just going to have to go for it.

“As soon as I’m clear, you turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!” He shouted over the wind.

“You can’t give me orders!” Peggy shouted back, stumbling over to stand next to him.

“The hell I can’t! I’m a Captain!”

Before she could argue that point, he smirked and dropped his goggles over his eyes. With a firm grip on the edges of the door, he launched himself out of the plane, falling quickly towards the ground.

Peggy went to the door and watched as the speck was illuminated by a nearby blast. His chute was out, the muddy reddish brown visible for a moment before she lost sight. It was up to Steve now, he was all on his own. Already, she could feel Stark was turning the plane around to head back, and she knew she wouldn’t get any sleep that night.

~~~~~

Dr. Zola was trying to keep pace with Schmidt as the man surveyed their factory. The preparations were in full swing as various pieces of equipment continued to be worked on and completed. Some of the components were fueled by the Tesseract, so they glowed in that brilliant blue.

“As you can see, production of the _Valkyrie_ is progressing on schedule, even with components of this size.”

As they walked by, a handful of the soldiers they had taken captive to do the manual labor turned to look at them. The guards got them back on track quickly as they were ignored by the two men of power. The factory was bustling with the workers trying to finish the pieces so they didn’t have to face Schmidt’s wrath.

Schmidt’s eyes wandered, but he keep his face forward. He wouldn’t give these underlings the satisfaction of knowing he was pleased with their work. Although they had done so much already, they needed to speed up the process.

“Increase the output by 60 percent and see to it our other facilities do the same.”

Zola turned to look at him. There wasn’t any way for that to work. Their prisoners were worn down and more died every day. “But these prisoners, I’m not sure they have the strength.”

“Then use up what strength they have left, Doctor. There are always more workers.”

Zola watched Schmidt walk away before he allowed the frustration to show on his face. Why was it he was always the one to do all of the hard work? Getting more workers would mean another raid on the front lines and that meant more work for him. He scowled as one of the Hydra scientists approached him.

“Not now!” He grumbled, not wanting to deal with any of this right now.

He waved the man off, turning to stomp away. It wouldn’t do him any good to get frustrated and complain over all of this. In the end, he was no different than the others. Even with all of his brilliance, the moment he no longer proved useful to Hydra’s cause, he would meet his end in the worst possible way.

Maybe he could go check on his experiment. After all, the man showed the most promising results and Zola suspected he was very strong willed to endure the hours of pain as his body changed. Yes, certainly going to go and run another test would cheer him up and then he would go and then he would see to the orders of their leader.

~~~~~~

In the basement of the compound, the soldiers captured in Azzano and other areas were lined up, being led into cages where they would get their few hours of sleep before their work would begin again. Dugan lagged behind at a slower pace, trying to provoke the guards to do something so he would have a good excuse to take one out. Maybe then he would find out where they took Barnes. It had been weeks and there wasn’t any sign that their superior officer was still alive.

One of the goons gave him a good shove, pushing him through the door before knocking off his bowler. Dugan bent down to grab it off the floor, wanting it on his head when he took the swing. He saw Gabe shake his head, his eyes silently telling him not to do anything stupid and he paused. Maybe tonight wasn’t the night to do something like this, but he was still gonna run his mouth.

“You know, Fritz, one of these days, I’m gonna have a stick of my own.”

The guard said nothing as he stepped back, reaching for the door. It shut with a loud clang before the guard walked away. It was such a wasted opportunity. Oh well, he had a feeling something good was gonna come out of this eventually. What he wouldn’t do for some booze right about now though.

~~~~~

Steve never wanted to do that again. Falling through the air, pushed by the wind while being fired at. Definitely not fun. At least his landing wasn’t so bad and he remembered the brief training he’d received about jumping out of an aircraft, though it was an extreme rarity so they didn’t get any practical training.

He hid the chute in the brush. It wasn’t as though he would still need it anymore, but the last thing anyone wanted was to give the enemy an advantage. Taking one more look at the air, making sure that Stark had followed his orders, he gathered his equipment and got his bearings. He needed to move quickly in case someone saw him fall and they were searching for him. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he got caught.

As silently as he could manage, he slipped through the brush, looking for any signs of guards keeping watch on the forest. There was a bit of fog rolling in, so he slipped into the mist, keeping his head down as he scurried through the brush, dodging the occasional tree he couldn’t see in the thick vapor.

He stopped short when he came to a road, peering the one end to see he had come out a bit closer to the factory than he thought. Lights were shining down from the guard towers, covering the road and gate. How was he ever going to slip past that?

The sound of rumbling engines gave him his answers. He could see the dim headlights on the trucks as the moved down the road. Supply trucks meant he could slip into the back and hopefully past the gates undetected. It was time to see if he could repeat what he did at the harbor all those months ago.

He waited till the last truck past before he darted out of the trees, slipping into the blind spot of the truck, before launching himself through the canvas curtain. It wasn’t the most graceful of maneuvers as he rolled landing sprawled on his backside, but he managed. At least he seemed to catch the two masked guards off guard, as they turned to look at him before going still. With the masks, he couldn’t read their expressions.

“Fellas.” He nodded at them, sending them into motion.

The men came at him, but strength was on his side. He knocked them both out with a few quick moves, launching their bodies out of the back and onto the foggy road. Steve watched as the fog concealed the bodies, before closing the flap and moving to sit on the box. The trucks continued to roll on, probably waved right through the gates. The next problem would come when the trucks pulled up to be unloaded. No doubt there would be other men to deal with there.

The trucks slowed, stopping momentarily before they began to back up. Steve crouched down, pulling the shield up to hide his face as he waited. When he saw the flap lift up and a bit of light, he pushed the shield out with the force of a well-placed punch, knocking the guard backwards into a doorway.

He hopped out, glancing one way to see the workers weren’t looking, too busy unloading the goods from the other trucks. Steve knew which way not to go as he jumped off the platform, using the truck he’d hitched a ride in for cover. Looking for anyone who might come after him, he sprinted across the gap to take cover by the tanks.

This was his chance to look around and figure out his next move. There was a center court yard illuminated by bright white lights. Several Hydra soldiers were gathered, but what they were doing, Steve couldn’t tell. All he knew was that while they were distracted, he needed to get into the factory….that was directly behind them. There had to be some other way in.

Off to the one side, he could see a tank close to a low wall. Following the wall, it led to an outlaying part of the factory. The windows were large and he could probably make it through one of them. If not, he could probably scale over the building and find another entry point. That was his ticket into the building.

Taking one more good look around, he sprint across another extremely open area, climbed up the tank, and hopping up onto the wall. He stood up and began to sprint down the wall, keeping an eye on the guards below. Either they were oblivious or arrogant, because they didn’t even look above their own heads once.

He climbed over the roof and dropped down, slipping quickly through an open door that the guard had just come through. The halls of the factory were wide and not too difficult to navigate. His main problem was the lack of cover. That being said, he did have to knock out a couple of guards as he headed deeper into enemy territory.

He reached a door with a window and slipped to the other side. Peering in, he could see it was the main workroom of the factory. A black armored goon stood off to the side. Steve tapped on the door, getting the other soldier’s attention. Taking a quick peek, he saw the man approach, open the door, stuck his head through the door.

Steve slammed the door on his head, momentarily dazing him before swinging a fist into his face. The man dropped, leaving the door wide open. The American solider had to drag the man into the hallway and prop him up against the wall. Drawing his gun, he slid through the doorway, shutting the door behind him as he ducked between concrete and metal cases.

These guards were arrogant, their focus on the workers and not looking for possible intruders. They were making this so much easier than he would have thought. Slipping deeper into the compound, he was still being vigilant and careful in case someone happened to see him. It was there that he found a round object glowing with a brilliant, blue light. It was just sitting out exposed for anyone to walk up and get a look. Steve wished it was smaller so that he could take it back to Stark for a look. It could be a new weapon that Hydra was planning to use against them, and they needed every advantage they could get to fight this enemy. That was when he noticed a smaller component on the table.

It was about the size of a gun clip and glowing that same blue. He examined it briefly before slipping it into his pocket. The last thing he wanted was to overthink taking the object, since he wasn’t sure what it did, so he turned his attention to the main reason he was there. He needed to find the prisoners and get them out.

Steve found a stairwell that led down into a lower floor. At the bottom of the stairs, he could see one other guard pacing, keeping watch on something below him. Stepping down quickly and quietly, Steve managed to surprise the guard, knocking him down onto a set of bars. There was a rustle from below and Steve glanced down to see rows of circular cages filled with men. The ones in the cage directly below him all scrambled to stand up, trying to get a better look as Steve rummaged through the guard’s pocket for keys. Finding them, he yanked them off the man’s belt, standing up above the men.

“Who are you supposed to be?” One of the men called up to him.

Steve didn’t know what exactly to say to that. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to speak his real name in enemy territory. It could be asking for big trouble considering he technically wasn’t supposed to exist.

“I’m…Captain America.” He blurted out between his slightly elevated breathing. As soon as he said it, he wondered if it sounded as strange to the men as it did to him.

“I beg your pardon?”

Steve didn’t respond, instead he made his way down below and began to open the cages, letting the men out. There were a lot more men in here than he thought, some with accents like Peggy, some who didn’t speak English, and a lot of different nationalities that came from the US.

“What, are we taking everybody?” A man in a bowler hat asked, his gaze fixed on a smaller man of Asian descent.

The Asian man tisked, yanking his dog tags out from under his jacket. “I’m from Fresno, Ace.”

Steve stepped between them partially to break up the argument before it came to blows. He also wanted to know if these men had seen Bucky. Some of them had to be from the 107th.

“Is there anybody else? I’m looking for a Sergeant James Barnes.”

“There’s an isolation ward in the factory, but no one’s ever come back from it.” One of the men with an accent spoke up.

“All right. The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast and give ‘em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find.”

“Wait.” Steve turned back to see a black man stepped forward from the crowd. “You know what you’re doing?”

“Yeah. I’ve knocked out Adolf Hitler over 200 times.”

Steve didn’t wait for a response to that, jogging down the corridor. He could feel the men staring at him, but it didn’t matter. He needed to find Bucky and then figure out a way to get out of here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I was struggling with Ghost, I decided to switch gears and work on another chapter of this. I really enjoyed working on this chapter, since this is the turning point for Steve. I always loved that he took matters into his own hands and proved himself to everyone who wouldn't give him a chance. Since I starting working on this story, this was one of the chapters I looked forward to the most.
> 
> Next time we'll get to the prison break/riot, the very confusing reunion, the confrontation with Schmidt, and the triumphant return. I'm not sure yet when I'll get it up, but it'll be soon. If I can figure out the kinks I have in Ghost, I'm going to try hard to pump out chapters for both stories.
> 
> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to leave comments and kudos! I need the motivation this week as I try and wrap up Camp NaNoWriMo. Also check out my new Stucky One Shot, Do I Look Worried To You? (Link Below or check out my profile!)
> 
> Find me on Tumblr/Instagram/Twitter:  
> Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel: http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> Writing Tumblr (I post previews of stuff here): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/  
> Instagram (I post previews and statuses. Follow #HydraVerse): SilverCiels  
> Twitter (Not as active on here, but feel free to follow): @SilverCiels
> 
> Check out my other stories and let me know what you think! (Links below or check out my profile!)
> 
> Interlude Party: (Updated Chapter 3 - 12/28/2014)   
> Side Stories that don't fit into All That's Left Is The Ghost of You or Before We Go  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829
> 
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapter 50 - 07/26/2015...Updated weekly on Sunday)  
> Steve Rogers have lived through the last 60 years and has many regrets. Still fighting a war that should have ended a long time ago, Rogers is haunted by his past, but he must find the strength to make new friends and the confidence to lead a new team to end the war. (Phase One Avengers Movies if Steve had lived.)  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846
> 
> Do I Look Worried To You? (One Shot - 07/23/2015)  
> Steve Rogers has been searching for his best friend for a long time, so when he gets that phone call, he can't resist going. What he finds, isn't what he expects.  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/4402937


	9. Reunions and Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now free, the soldiers charge their captors and destroy bring down the factory. Meanwhile, Steve finds what he's looking for and together, he and his friend return triumphantly to camp, though not everyone is happy when they get back

With no other real option left to them, the men decided to do what Mr. Captain America asked of them and made their way through the halls, pushed open the factory doors, and rushed out into the courtyard. Several Hydra soldiers were there, but at the moment, the Allied soldiers had the advantage as they went on the offensive, knocking out guards, taking their weapons and storming towards equipment before the guards had a chance to recover.

The agents of Hydra were efficient though, getting into formation and firing their automatic weapons at the crowd of rushing soldiers, managing to take out a few before they could be taken down. A French soldier and the Asian American from Fresno went for one of the guards with a more impressive looking gun. It glowed with a bright blue light. The Frenchman knocked the gun away, holding off the soldier as far as strength went, while the Asian man kicked his knees out from behind before snapping the soldier’s neck. When he looked up again the other soldier had the gun in his hand.

“You know how to use that thing?”

The gun charged and fired off a beam of blue light. The light hit the building causing the wall to burst open, parts of it crumbling to the ground as it smoldered. The Asian man held up his hands in a gesture of surrender while the Frenchman looked shocked, his eyes wide. The Asian man shrugged. “Okay.”

~~~~~

The sound of the explosion caught the attention of the men in the watch tower. Schmidt looked down at the closest monitor, watching as men ran across the screen in a rush. They were not his men and the ground was ablaze behind them.

“What is happening?”

He stepped over to the next panel, hitting the button to sound the alarm. They were under attack, but by who? Dr. Zola stood up from where he sat in front of their radio, suddenly interested in what was going on. He could see the men moving across the screen. He recognized them as some of the workers they had taken prisoners from the Allies.

“The prisoners.” He said in shock. “How did they escape?”

The look Schmidt was giving him was not a pleasant one. He obviously wasn’t happy about finding out these were their prisoners. All their hard work would be compromised if their men couldn’t get them under control and back in their cages. Hopefully they wouldn’t kill too many or they would need new workers much more quickly than they had anticipated.

~~~~~

Dugan ran straight for a tank. If they were going to have any luck at making it past that gate, they were going to have to go big and take out as many soldiers and obstacles as they could. Gabe dropped down behind him, coming up to stand directly behind his chair.

“Hey. Not exactly a Buick.” Dugan said when he realized who had joined him. This had been a great idea in theory, but the panel was covered in German. Dugan didn’t know how to read German and he needed to know to start this thing.

“That one. Zundung.” Gabe said as he pointed to a button on the panel.

“Zundung?” Dugan questioned before reaching up to press it. The tank roared to life and he let out a laugh.

“Get this thing going, Dugan!” A man with a British accent called out as he hopped in, ducking low so not to be hit by the spray of bullets ricocheting off the metal of the tank. They’d met Falsworth after they’d been locked up and as much as Dugan’s charm turned people away, Falsworth had found them interesting enough to befriend. The man was up top on the cannon, so they had a pilot, a co-pilot, and a shooter going for them.

“I didn’t know you spoke German.” Dugan wasn’t really paying attention to Falsworth as he was trying to get this thing moving. Gabe knowing German was a big help.

“Three semesters at Howard, switched to French, girls much cuter.” Gabe responded to Dugan’s inquiry with a grin. This was going to be fun.

“Didn’t ask for the resume.” Dugan said as the tank started to roll forward. Falsworth fired, destroying two of their convoys with the cannon. The tank was moving faster than they thought possible. If this was what German engineering was capable of, they were glad then snagged one.

“Waaa-hooo!” Dugan shouted out loud as Falsworth destroyed something else. Now this was really starting to get fun.

While Dugan and the others were taking the outside, some of the men, now armed with weapons, decided to go back in and raise some chaos. They were going to take out as many of these men as they possibly could. Schmidt watched as his men were dropping fairly easily. He caught a glimpse of a star on the edge of the monitor and he moved the camera to get a better look.

It seemed as though Erskine was successful. Schmidt had seen some of the footage of the great Captain America. The propaganda hero of the weak American people. This was a man who had given them hope, though Schmidt had initially thought the man was a tool to inspire. He never expected to see him here on the battlefield, especially not in one of his factories.

He had to be the one to free the men from their cages. The Americans had done something clever for once, sending a single man in to infiltrate his base and do a fair amount of damage. As the Red Skull’s frown deepened, he decided that it was probably for the best to cut his losses now and perhaps even destroy his greatest threat in the process.

Schmidt reached over and began to flip open the cover for the remote charges. He was going to destroy all of their hard work. It was more to spite the Americans than anything else. One by one he flipped each switch and hit the button to start the countdown.

“No, no! What are you doing?” Dr. Zola came over to try and stop him. Schmidt still wasn’t happy with the other man.

Schmidt gestured towards the screen. “Our forces are outmatched.”

He continued to flip switches while Zola got a better look. The scientist lingered for a moment before taking off running towards his office. No doubt the man would try and save what he could in the short span of time they had, but most of his research would go down with the factory. It was a real shame too. That American soldier the man had been experimenting on would have turned out to be quite the asset if they had more time to finish the experiment and tweak the man to their specifications. All that work would be wasted as the man would die in this place.

~~~~~

Steve kicked his current opponent over the nearest railing. With the alarm blaring, he knew he didn’t have a lot of time to find anyone who had been taken to the isolation ward. As it was, the Hydra soldiers kept getting in his way, slowing him down even more. It was only a matter of time before the next wave came so he was going to have to get out of here.

He pulled his gun out of the holster, holding it securely in his hand as he began to run. Right now he was going to have to shoot first and ask questions later. As it was, the soldiers were so loyal to their organization and their leader that it was impossible to get any information out of them.

The main agenda on his mind was finding his best friend. If the other soldiers had it right, he would find Bucky in the isolation ward. It bothered him when they told him that no one came back from there, suggesting that anyone who went more than likely ended up dead. He couldn’t let himself think like that. Bucky had to be alive, he just had to be.

~~~~~

Back outside, the American soldiers had gotten the hang of the new type of weapons they had stolen from their enemy. The French and Asian soldier pair were running, taking out as many men as they could. The American soldier may not have been able to understand the Frenchman, but the other man could understand him, so he took the lead as they ran through the courtyard to help the other struggling fighters.

“Keep moving! Grab those grenades!” The Asian man called out, gesturing to the motorcycles that had carriers for the grenades. A few of the men who heard him, grabbed the long explosive devices, pulling the pins and chucking them at the Hydra soldiers who were still fighting on.

The grenades exploded, knocking down men and kicking up dirt. This was turning into a makeshift battle on the front lines where the Americans were fighting not only for their freedom, but for their pride. They were determined to make it out of this place and nothing was going to stop them.

~~~~~

With nothing else left to do than to evacuate the building, Schmidt moved over to the device that contained the Tesseract. It was the one precious artifact that he could not afford to leave behind in this place. If they were to lose everything they had accomplished here, they would need the Tesseract to be able to rebuild elsewhere.

After all the years of searching for the powerful cube, he wasn’t about to let it fall into the hands of the Americans either. They wouldn’t understand its power. This was his power and it would be key to help him win this war and rebuild this world under the rule of Hydra.

As he made his way to the bridge, all he had to do was wait for the Doctor. The man would be along shortly or Schmidt would be forced to leave without him. As much as Schmidt hated to admit it, he needed the doctor to continue to make the weapons that would help Hydra rise to a higher status in the world. The man’s genius was necessary if they were to win this war of men. The moment that the man truly failed him would mean the end for him. Hopefully, he would not disappoint his leader by being caught up in the coming explosion.

~~~~~

Zola threw everything he could get his hands on into his bag. He didn’t have time to be neat and tidy. The scientist knew that Schmidt would only wait so long for him before leaving him to a more gruesome fate. He grabbed his jacked and his hat before sprinting out of his office, through his lab, and out into the hallway.

A silhouette caught his eye as he turned the corner. The hall was dark, but the shape of the man before him gave away exactly who was coming towards him. Zola glanced back quickly at the man strapped down to the exam table, muttering with a weak voice. Maybe the Captain would hear the soldier and stop to save him over tracking a foe.

Taking the risk, Zola took off in the opposite direction. It would take him a little bit longer to get back to Schmidt, but it was a small detour. He would still make it back to the Hydra leader before his time was up.

Steve saw the man standing there at the end of the hall, watched the man struggle to hold onto his jacket and his briefcase as he ran around the corner. Steve took off in a run after him, but a small sound stopped in at the entranceway he’d seen the man just come out of. There was a weak sound, a soft groan that caught his attention.

Making a decision, he stepped into the room, cautiously looking around. His eyes froze when he saw the man strapped down onto the table. He couldn’t get a good look from the angle he was standing at, but the familiar shade of the dark greasy hair was enough to set him into motion. It had to be him, it just had to.

“Sergeant. Three-two-five-five-seven. Barnes.”

Steve’s heart pounded as he came around the table, getting his first look at the familiar face. Buck’s face was pale and covered in sweat. A small cut was visible on his cheek, but other than that, he looked unharmed. He had stubble on his cheek and his eyes were glazed over, unfocused, but it was his best friend. Bucky was alive.

“Bucky?” Steve breathed out in relief. He had dreaded what he would find coming in here. At least he knew that his efforts weren’t in vain and he wasn’t about to regret breaking orders to do this. Not now when his friend was right in front of him. “Oh, my God.”

Steve moved to yank the restraints off the man. Now that he’d found him, they needed to get out of here. Something was wrong though. The man hadn’t responded to his name being called or to the fact that he was now free. Slowly the man’s head turned to the side, eyes finally focusing on the man who had freed him.

“Is that…” Bucky managed to get out, he seemed a little confused by what he was seeing.

“It’s me.” Steve spoke softly, fighting back the urge to cry. He knew Bucky wouldn’t exactly recognize him with the changes, but for the man to be in this bad of a shape wasn’t a good thing. “It’s Steve.”

“Steve?” The man’s face lit up, a smile crossing his lips. It was the name and the face that finally snapped the man out of his daze. He was looking up at his best friend. Something felt off though, something wasn’t right about this Steve. “Steve.”

“Come on.” Steve helped him to sit up and then stand up. It took a moment for Bucky to find his balance on his feet, but Steve held on, keeping him steady until he could stand on his own. Once he was on his feet, Bucky could now see why he thought something was wrong. The Steve he knew was shorter than him. This man was taller and broader, but it was still his Steve. He just knew it was. He could feel it.

Steve touched Bucky’s cheek in a friendly gesture. It was quick like a pat. He felt compelled to touch, to reassure himself that this was all real. He could feel the weight on his muscles, the brush of stubble and the sticky wetness from the sweat. This was real. Bucky was alive and with him.

“I thought you were dead.” Steve told him, still struggling to contain his emotions. He was so happy he wasn’t too late, that the person he cared about the most was still here with him. From the look on Bucky’s face though, he didn’t really hear Steve and instead was giving him a once over with his eyes.

“I thought you were smaller.” Bucky managed to get out when he met Steve’s gaze again.

“I’ve got a lot of explaining to do, but we’ve got to get out of here. The guards could come at any minute. The others are out there fighting to get us out of here.”

“The others?”

“Yeah, the rest of the 107th and other soldiers who were taken prisoner by Hydra.” Steve clarified.

“Hydra?”

“I’ll explain on the way. Can you walk?”

Bucky’s responses were slowly than he wanted, but the man gave a nod. He was still a bit shaky so Steve was going to have to help. Steve glanced around the room for anything that might help them. All he saw was a map on the wall with certain points marked on it with black triangles. It wouldn’t help him get Bucky out, but it looked important enough to file away for later.

“Come on.” Steve said as he draped one of Bucky’s arms over his shoulders and kept a hand on the man’s waist and chest to steady him. It was going to take a bit of time for the man to get used to being on his feet again and walking on his legs. When Bucky was a bit more steady, he’d let the man walk on his own, but there was no way he was going to stop supporting the man while he was like this.

“What happened to you?” Bucky asked, trying to keep his feet from dragging. It was hard to move them, due to the fuzziness in his mind and the fact that his legs felt like gelatin.

“I joined the Army.” Steve started off with as he led the man out into the hall.

~~~~~

Outside, the troops hid behind the tank as it headed for the gate. Falsworth aimed at the guard tower and fired, sending the guards around it scattering. The tower exploded. The English man did the same to the chain fence, creating a hole for the troops to get through. While the enemy soldiers were down, the men behind the tank charged, taking out as many as they could as they slipped through the fence and headed into the forest.

Dugan just kept on rolling in the tank. The troops managed to clear the obstruction when the factory started to blow, the flames flaring up. Several of the Hydra soldiers were trying to regroup, but they weren’t heading after the men. Instead they were heading for the intact convoys, climbing in the back as they started to pull out of the court yard in the opposite direction from where the troops were running.

Several of the men cheered in triumph at their freedom and a hard fought battle won. There was still a war out there to fight, but for right now, they were free and they would revel in the fact that they won for as long as they were allowed.

~~~~~

It only took a few minutes for Steve to give Bucky the short version of what had happened since they had parted. In that time, the man had grown steadier, more and more solid on his feet, until he was walking on his own a little bit behind Steve. The blond man was keeping an eye out for anyone they might encounter, but the hallways were eerily empty.

“Did it hurt?” Bucky asked when Steve was finished.

“A little.” Steve said. He really didn’t want to tell Bucky how bad the pain was. Not only for his own pride, but right now Bucky was the one hurting. Steve could tell though the man was trying to shake it off the best that he could.

“Is this permanent?” Bucky stumbled trying to keep pace. He was only a few steps behind, but it felt like he was so much further behind for some reason.

That was a good question. He hadn’t seen any side effects or anything that would suggest otherwise, but he didn’t want to give the man a straight answer in case it would come up later. “So far.”

They had to go down the stairs to get out, but when the ground started to shake beneath them, Steve feared the worst. They stepped out onto a landing to watch the ground floor of the factory start to go up. An explosion went off, forcing the duo to shield their faces and step back from the railing. They weren’t getting out that way. Somehow they had to get to the other side of the factory. At least if they got just low enough, they could jump down and escape.

Steve had seen a bridge on the floor up above them, so he tugged on Bucky’s arm, forcing the other man to climb back up the stairs. Bucky was aware enough to watch his back as he looked the opposite way down the elevated walkway while Steve moved to jog towards the stairs.

“Captain America!” A voice called out as they reached the bridge causing the men to stop. Standing on the other side was a pair of men. One was the man Steve had seen in the hallway just before finding Bucky. The other was unfamiliar to him, with pale skin, dressed in a long black trenchcoat, boots, and gloves. His entire body was covered from the neck down. This had to be him, Johann Schmidt, the leader of Hydra. “How exciting! I am a great fan of your films!”

It sounded like the man was trying to mock him by saying something like that. He handed over the case in his hand to the shorter man before he made a gesture and moved to come over to the bridge. The shorter man followed him at a slower pace.

Steve glanced back at Bucky to make sure the man was with him. Bucky was bracing himself on the railing of the walk way, his eyes not focused on the man in black, but on the man Steve had seen come out of the room. Bucky refused to take his eyes off of the man, his gaze following him as he moved behind the Hydra leader. He was beginning to get angry now as he just put two and two together. Was this man the reason he found his best friend in the state he was in? Just what did they do to him?

Steve stepped out onto the bridge the moment Schmidt stepped up on it. If they were going to have a showdown this was the best place to do it. He needed to be prepared for anything and everything this man would throw at him. Then he would take care of the smaller man, take him back with them to find out just what he did to Bucky.

“So, Dr. Erskine managed it after all.” Schmidt said, confirming what Steve had been thinking. “Not exactly an improvement, but still, impressive.”

The two men stepped closer until they were in range. Steve pulled back his fist and let it fly, punching the man in the face. Schmidt gripped the railing to steady himself as he reached up to touch his face. Steve should have known that a single punch wouldn’t be enough to take this man down, but he was still disappointed that he didn’t knock the pompous bully on his ass. This man was the only other person who had the serum in his veins. He would not go down so easily.

“You’ve got no idea.” Steve said, speaking to the man for the first time. He wasn’t about to let this go and he wasn’t about to let the man continue to mock him. Schmidt turned back to face him, his face warped as Steve could see the cheek sag and a bit of red had appeared beneath the man’s eye.

“Haven’t I?” Schmidt taunted before moving to strike. Steve brought up the shield in his hand just in time to take the impact of Schmidt’s fist. The strike left a dent in the metal and Steve reached for the gun he’d put back in the holster earlier. Schmidt struck again, this time finding his mark, knocking Steve onto his back. Steve lost his grip on the gun as it went skittering over the side of the bridge.

Glancing back up, Steve saw Schmidt approach. His eyes were focused on his prone form and Steve felt like he was being stalked by an animal. Waiting for the man to take one more step towards him, he brought his legs up, effectively kicking the man back. This time Schmidt did go down onto his back and the bridge shifted beneath the men.

Steve looked up to see that Schmidt’s companion had pulled the lever on the bridge, forcing the two pieces to disengage and slide to both sides. He and Bucky were trapped on one side, while Schmidt and the other man were standing on the side they needed to be on.

Both man stood back up, staring each other down. Below them, small explosions kept going off on the factory below, creating an odd symphony to their confrontation. Steve took a few deep breaths, staring the man down, trying not to think about his current dilemma.

“No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see, I was his greatest success!”

The two American soldiers watched with a bit of stunned horror as Schmidt reached for his cheek yanking the flesh up. It was some sort of mask that covered his face. As he pulled it off, the vibrant red skin beneath was revealed, adding to the strangeness of this encounter. The skin was stretched so tightly Steve could see the bone of the man’s skull protruding and giving it a sinister look.

His eyes looked sunken into his face, his nose and ears looked like they were melted into themselves. Steve didn’t know what to think at first. Erskine had warned him that Schmidt had experienced negative effects of the serum. This was nothing close to what Steve was expecting.

“You don’t have one of those, do you?” Bucky asked, his voice very calm for someone who just witnessed the same thing Steve just had. The man must just be numb from everything that he had gone through that this didn’t even faze him anymore.

“You are deluded, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind.” Schmidt dramatically dropped his mask down into the fiery ball below. Steve watched it fall until it disappeared turning back to stare at Schmidt as he headed off the bridge to an open elevator. “Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without fear!”

“Then how come you’re running?” Steve shouted back at him. Schmidt just grinned as the elevator door slid closed, not bothering to give Steve an answer.

Schmidt’s face fell the moment he was out of Roger’s sight. He had lied, still having a few doubts about his strange form. This was not a mark of a triumph, though he used it to terrify those around him. He had no real need for his mask anymore, now that Captain America had seen his real face now. No, he would battle the man, exposing everything.

“Sir? Are we going to the roof?” Zola asked, sounding a bit distressed. Schmidt was unhappy with the man for breaking up the fight between him and the Captain. He may have been knocked down, but not out. It would have been better to kill the man now. Still, they had cut off his exits and there was no other way out. The Captain and his friend would die with the factory.

Schmidt nodded, answering Zola’s inquiry as the doors opened to reveal a flying device with a top propeller. It was one of his own personal vessels, and it only seated one person. He was going to exit this place with a bit of style.

“What about me? Where will I sit?” Zola asked. Schmidt glanced at him, dropping the keys to his car into Zola’s hands. Might as well make the man work for his escape.

“Not a scratch, Doctor. Not a scratch.” He responded, stepping out onto the platform. He listened for the sound of the doors of the elevator closing before he stopped for a moment to look up at the smoke filled sky.

At least this wasn’t a total loss. He got to destroy the man who would cause him the most trouble. If he was being honest though, it was a hollow victory for him. If it was meant for him to take out the Captain, then the opportunity would present itself in the future, though he doubted it. For now, he was just going to fly away and plan for the next task he needed to take care of.

~~~~~

Zola didn’t waste any time as he made his way down to the garage. He ran over to Schmidt’s car, tossing his briefcase into the passenger seat. It didn’t matter how he got out of here now, just that he was gone. Climbing into the seat, he placed the keys in the ignition as the car roared to life. Stepping on the gas, he sped out of the garage, past the ruined courtyard and away from the burning building. The most important thing to him now was the fact that he was alive and he planned on stay that way for a while longer.

~~~~~

Another good explosion went off, causing the soldiers to duck their heads and step away from the center again. Once he could see, Steve looked around and up for a way out. On the next level up, he could see a door that led to the stairs he gone through earlier, but without a way over, it didn’t do him any good. Looking around again, Steve found his solution. There was a beam that stretched from one side of the room to the other with a hook hanging down. It should be strong enough to support their weight if it was used to hold up or move parts in the factory. They would have to go up and brave crossing the thin metal, but it was their only option at this point.

Steve slammed his hand on the railing, getting Bucky’s attention, the man’s eyes still focused on where Schmidt had disappeared. “Come on, let’s go. Up.”

Steve led Bucky over to the stairs, trying to get him to go up first. Bucky insisted Steve went first and Steve went without arguing simply because they had no time. The place would be gone in fire and smoke within the next few minutes.

When they reached the top and Bucky realized his plan, he glanced over at Steve like he was crazy. Looking down, though, he could tell there was really no other way. If they wanted to survive, they were going to have to make a break for it.

“Let’s go. One at a time.” Steve said, forcing Bucky to go first. He helped the man over the railing and onto the beam, not giving the man time to argue about going first this time. Bucky held onto the railing for a moment to steady himself, the beam shaking from the force of the blasts below. If he was going to make it, he would have to take it slow. It was going to be a difficult task regardless of the situation, but the shaking made it worse.

Bucky made the mistake of looking down at the explosion. He froze for a moment, but the shifting of the beam caused him to refocus. It was falling and he was only at the halfway point. He needed to hurry or Steve wouldn’t be able to make it across. Swallowing hard, he picked up the pace, having to pause again as the beam shook. It was going to go.

Making a run for it, Bucky took a few steps feeling the beam go beneath him. His need for self-preservation kicked in and he jumped, catching the rail on the other side. It took more strength than it should have to hull his body over the rail Turning around he looked back at his friend stuck on the other side.

“There’s gotta be a rope or something!” He called over to Steve. This wasn’t happening. He’d just gotten Steve back. He wasn’t about to lose him again to this. If that meant they both weren’t going to make it out of here, then so be it. He wasn’t willing to live in a world without the man he loved, so maybe it was better this way.

“Just go! Get out of here!” Steve shouted back. If this was hopeless, at least he had given his friend a chance to survive.

“No!” Bucky shouted, his tone a bit distraught, but held some force behind it. His eyes were sad but resigned. “Not without you!”

“Hell.” Steve cursed, glancing around. Bucky meant it and was stubborn enough to stay behind and die with him. He didn’t have any other options but to jump and hope he would make it.

When the beam had fallen, it had taken some of the railing with it. Steve bent back a broken piece to give himself a straight shot across before backing up to make a running leap. Before he took a step, his eyes met Bucky’s across the factory. The man was watching in a stunned silence as Steve prepared to do the impossible. It was do or die time, so Steve braced himself, took that first step, and launched himself into the air.

Bucky watched as Steve took a step back. It was an impossible distance for Steve to jump. The man was crazy enough to try. Bucky wanted to tell him not to do it, but the words caught in his throat. As Steve’s body left the platform, a wall of flames flared up, causing Bucky to fall to his knees. No, Steve had been so close to making it. Crossing a distance that shouldn’t have been possible.

The sound of creaking metal, boots and reverberation hit his ears, dragging him out of his stupor. Steve was there, climbing over the rails. His jacket was a little singed and he had to put out a small flame on his sleeve, but he was here and he was alive. He’d made it.

“Let’s get out of here, Buck.” Steve held out his hand. Bucky swallowed down his emotions, tabling them for later. They still had to get out of here….still had work to do. Steve grabbed Bucky’s hand as they made a run for it. The building was coming down fast and they had little time to make it out. Bucky started to cough as he walked out into the clean air and away from the head and the smoke. Steve pulled him along, trying to get far enough away from the building to not be hurt when the building did finally come down.

They ran across the courtyard, past the smoldering watch tower, through the hole in the fence and into the woods before the biggest explosion rocked the ground, tripping them up. The two men went tumbling between the trees, landing side by side.

They were both look up through the thinning fog at the night sky. The stars were shining above them as they just focused on breathing as the adrenaline seeped out of their bodies. Both men were exhausted.

“Hey, Buck.” Steve managed to find words as he continued to stare up at the sky.

“Yeah.” Bucky turned his gaze towards his friend.

“Remind me never to do that again.”

Bucky didn’t know where the laughter came from, but after everything they’d been through and knowing the stubborn punk his friend was, he knew that wasn’t happening. Steve must have realized the failings in his own request, because he started to laugh too. Self-preservation must have kicked in after a real near death experience and that was the only explanation behind the whole thing. For now, they would act as though it had never been asked and revel in being alive.

Finding the strength to get up. Steve rose to his feet, glancing around the woods. It was dark and daylight was still and hour or so off. They needed to get to the clearing and rendezvous with the other soldiers. Turning around, he reached down to offer Bucky a hand up. He grinned when the man took it and Steve used his strength to haul him up on his feet.

“Come on, Buck. We’ve got to get going.”

The dark haired man nodded, waiting for his friend to take the first step. It felt good to be reunited with Steve once more. There was so much he wanted to say, to tell the younger man, but now didn’t seem like the right time. He had questions now, so many questions. For now it was best to wait until they got back into Allied territory. Then they could talk till their heart’s content and not be worried about this war for a while.

Bucky managed a small smile at the thought, shaking his head at his own sappy thoughts. For now, just being by the man’s side was enough. Later, much later, he would say the words he always wanted to tell Steve. Right now, this…this was enough.

~~~~~

“Senator Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the third. Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers killed in action. Period.”

The sound of the typewriter was a grim sentiment to the words being dictated by the Colonel. With every keystroke it made every word all the more final. Not even the cheery ringing of the bell, signaling the end of the line, could lighten the mood in the tent.

Agent Carter entered, hearing the last words the Colonel had spoken. As the days went on, she had lost a bit of hope of Steve returning to him. The photographs in her hands showed only that the factory had been destroyed at some point after Steve had left, but that had been three days ago.

Phillips turned to look at her. She stepped towards him, placing the photographs down on the table. “The last surveillance flight is back. No sign of activity.”

The space inside the tent was tense. The silence deafening, though it spoke volumes at the same time. Phillips looked over the photos, refusing to look at the other two occupants in the tents. This was a fine mess they were all in.

“Go get a cup of coffee, Corporal.” The Colonel said to the man behind the typewriter.

“Yes, sir.” The Corporal got to his feet quickly, heading out the nearest exit to get away from the tension.

Peggy knew she was about to get severely reprimanded. With Phillips reporting Captain Rogers as killed in action, it meant that he was going to put all the blame on her and Howard Stark for the loss of Brandt’s great war hero. Even though she knew the consequences, she couldn’t bring herself to regret what she had done. Rogers made his choice. He wouldn’t want her to.

“I can’t touch Stark. He’s rich and he’s the Army’s number one weapons contractor. You are neither one.”

Phillips had walked away from her as he spoke, but he turned to face her when he confronted her with her actions.

“With respect, sir, I don’t regret my actions. And I don’t think Captain Rogers did, either.”

“What makes you think I give a damn about your opinions? I took a chance with you, Agent Carter. And now America’s golden boy and a lot of other good men are dead ‘cause you had a crush.”

“It wasn’t that.” She insisted, unwavering in her convictions. “I had faith.”

“Well, I hope that’s a big comfort to you when they shut this division down.” Phillips couldn’t really be mad at her for what she did. With his rank, he couldn’t have been the one to make that call. Still, he was disappointed that this would be over, probably from the moment Brandt got the letter in his hand. The backlash would be brutal.

There was a commotion outside, men running towards the gate, a few of them talking loudly. It caught the attention of the Colonel and the Agent as more and more men jogged past them.

“What the hell’s going on out there?” Phillips asked out loud, grabbing his helmet and making his way out into the gathering crowd.

Peggy followed behind him, hoping that it wasn’t anything bad. There was a strange feeling of disbelief and excitement in the air the closer they got to the gate. The sea of soldiers parted for one of their commanding officers, giving Phillips and Carter a front row seat to the sight of Rogers surrounded by men, leading them to the camp. The gate was raised as the men parted, letting the soldiers through. Several of the remaining members of the 107th were shouting, not believing that their comrades in arms were waltzing into the camp as if they were returning from some large scale mission of some sort.

More and more kept on coming, from several different troops, made up of several different countries. Phillips fought to keep his jaw from falling open at the sight of all the men, the weapons, the equipment. Rogers had done the impossible. He couldn’t believe it.

More and more soldiers from the camp converged creating a circle around the men. Several of them were clapping and cheering. Several of the men greeted each other. Rogers glanced back at the man on his left, smiling and patting him on the shoulder as they walked to the center of camp. The men stopped directly in front of Phillips and Rogers saluted his superior officer like a good little soldier should…saluted him as if he didn’t just go off on a rogue mission and nearly cost them everything in this war.

“Some of these men need medical attention.” Steve announced, but some of the other men he’d helped to rescue were already calling for medical personnel to come and help those who’d been shot or collapsed on the journey back to the camp. “I’d like to surrender myself for disciplinary action.”

Steve was fully willing to take whatever punishment the Colonel deemed fit for him. He had disobeyed orders, gone off on a rogue mission, and jeopardized the lives of the men he had gone in to save. Though he hadn’t been thinking about it, he also jeopardized his own life and the research that went into turning him into a super soldier. It would have been such a waste if he hadn’t come back, so even if he was dishonorably discharged, he would take it without complaint. It was worth it for the lives he had been able to save.

“That won’t be necessary.” Phillips surprised him by not taking him into custody. The Colonel had a strange look on his face as he looked around the camp, at the expressions of all the men standing around them. When he turned back to look at Rogers, a small, pleased smile graced his usually stoic features and Steve fought not to grin back.

“Yes, sir.”

Phillips turned away at that, practically running into Agent Carter.

He pause for a moment, nodding to her before slipping into the crowd. “Faith, huh?”

Peggy’s eyes hadn’t left Steve’s face since the moment she saw him. He owed her an explanation. After several days had passed she had begun to fear the worst. Why hadn’t he tried to contact them?

“You’re late.” She snipped at him, glancing over his whole frame to make sure he was unharmed. Rogers was filthy and smelled like dirt and smoke. The only damage was to his jacket which was singed and torn.

Rogers did smirk at her now, reaching into his pocket for something. He held up the transponder she and Stark had given to him. Part of it had been destroyed, the antenna bent.

“Couldn’t call my ride.” He said smoothly. She turned away, remembering he had questioned the device moments before the jump. With the way that it looked, it was no wonder he didn’t try and use it.

Off to the side, Bucky watched Steve practically flirt with the attractive brunette in uniform. The woman spoke with a thick British accent and from her tone, she was a lady that didn’t take any nonsense from anyone. At the sight of the two of them interacting, Bucky’s heart began to pound as jealousy, quick and vicious, coursed through him. He couldn’t watch this, couldn’t let it continue.

“Hey!” He called out to the crowd. “Let’s hear it for Captain America!”

Steve and the woman jumped a bit, startled by the call. The men all began to cheer and clap, causing Steve to look around at the crowd surrounding him. Bucky wasn’t paying as much attention to that as he was to the woman. Her eyes hadn’t left Steve’s face once. It forced him to take a deep breath, try and calm the jealous rage that filled him.

It wasn’t as though he had any claim to Steve. Most likely, he never would, no matter how much he might want to. It didn’t matter if he had these feelings. They weren’t socially acceptable. It was in that moment that rational thought sunk in and Bucky realized that he would never every have what he wanted. The life with Steve, the one he dreamed about…it would never come true.

If they survived this war, and even if Bucky got up the nerve to tell him, they would both marry pretty women and have families of their own like good men should. There was always the chance that if Bucky told him, Steve wouldn’t feel the same way. Steve probably hadn’t even thought about it at all.

Biting his bottom lip, Bucky reached out to put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. It was grounding as he felt like the crowd was closing in on him. He took several deep breaths to stop the rising panic. Steve turned back at that moment, catching his gaze, and smiled at him.

The surge of pride replaced the panic. His little Stevie had finally realized his dream. The man that Bucky always knew him to be was showing on the outside. He pushed aside his own negative emotions, finding a small smile for the man. He needed to be happy for him and he needed to be content that he at least had Steve’s attention and devotion, if nothing else.

He wouldn’t ruin their friendship, not like this. Steve meant more to him than anything in this world. It was sappy and sad, but he was willing to suffer if that meant his friend was happy.

When Steve looked away again, Bucky physically shook his head. He didn’t know why he was feeling this way. A part of him was wondering if the reason happened to be related to what the scientist had done to him. The other part of him dreaded finding out the answer.

“Bucky, what’s wrong?” Steve was standing in front of him and Bucky had to wonder just how long he had spaced out for. The woman was walking away and the crowd was starting to disperse. Bucky managed to smile again and shake his head at Steve.

“I think I’m just tired.” He lied, not wanting his friend to worry.

“You sure? I think you should go get checked out by the medics, make sure you’re all right.”

Bucky hadn’t been able to tell Steve exactly what the doctor had done to him. He had said that he was weak from lack of sleep and crappy food and had been put in the isolation ward trying to break up a fight. It was partially true anyway, so he didn’t feel so bad about that lie.

“I just need some sleep. Really Steve, I’m all right. I’m happy to be back.”

Steve studied his face as if he was deciding whether or not to believe him. After a moment, he nodded, throwing a hand over Bucky’s shoulder. “Then come on. Let’s go get cleaned up and get some rest. I’m thinking that I might need a wingman.”

“A wingman? For what?”

“To take down Schmidt and win this war.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is later than I intended. I got this later on Sunday night, but I was going to bed and then stuff happened yesterday, ect...and well, I just got the time to put this up.
> 
> I'm giving myself so many feels with this chapter. You all know how this story ends and I'm dreading working on what's coming. I do have plans for these two though it's a long way off from now (as evident of the events of the MCU). I do hope you all enjoy it! Just as an FYI as well, I'm taking a week off, so I won't be updating this weekend. I'll be back next week.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos! I enjoy hearing what you guys think and I like knowing when you guys enjoy this. I haven't said this in a while, but I am working on this as a way to improve my writing. I do accept constructive criticism as well. Also, check out the links below...
> 
> Check out the cover for All That's Left Is the Ghost of You by the amazing RiceChex: http://ricechex.tumblr.com/post/123895491365
> 
> Follow me on Social Media:  
> Main Tumblr/Mostly Marvel: http://silvertempest.tumblr.com/  
> Writing Tumblr (I post previews of stuff here. I'm trying to get more active on this.): http://silverciels.tumblr.com/  
> Instagram (I post previews and statuses. Very active on this. Follow #HydraVerse): SilverCiels  
> Twitter (Not as active on here, but feel free to follow): @SilverCiels
> 
> Check out my other stories by the links below or on my profile!
> 
> Hydra Verse Series  
> All That's Left Is the Ghost of You: (Updated Chapter 51 - 08/02/2015) - http://archiveofourown.org/works/1868892/chapters/4023846  
> (Updated weekly on Sunday) Steve Rogers have lived through the last 60 years and has many regrets. Still fighting a war that should have ended a long time ago, Rogers is haunted by his past, but he must find the strength to make new friends and the confidence to lead a new team to end the war. (Phase One Avengers Movies if Steve had lived.)
> 
> Interlude Party: (Chapter 3 Posted - 12/28/2014): http://archiveofourown.org/works/1910760/chapters/4121829  
> One-shot stories in the realm of the Hydra Verse that don't fit in the regular stories of the series. (Descriptions in each chapter)
> 
> Other Stories  
> Do I Look Worried To You? (One Shot - 07/23/15): http://archiveofourown.org/works/4402937  
> Steve Rogers has been searching for his best friend for a long time, so when he gets that phone call, he can't resist going. What he finds, isn't what he expects.


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